(Image source from: REUTERS)
A day after President Vladimir Putin changed Russia's nuclear policy, Russia launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into Ukraine. The launch of an ICBM with a conventional (non-nuclear) warhead is a serious warning to Ukraine and its Western allies that they must respect Moscow's red lines. Intercontinental ballistic missiles, commonly called intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), are traditionally designed to carry nuclear warheads, but can also be used with conventional warheads. The concept, technology, design and research behind the ICBM were in response to the country's response in the event of a nuclear accident. The Kremlin's strong response comes days after US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer allowed Ukraine to use Western long-range cruise and ballistic missiles to attack targets deep in Russian territory. Just hours after Washington and London agreed, Kiev launched US-made ATACMS missiles and British-made Storm Shadow missiles into Russian territory. The war, which celebrates its 1,000th anniversary on Wednesday, marked a significant escalation on both sides and marked the first launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile by Moscow, a Kiev spokesman said.
The Ukrainian Air Force issued a statement today announcing that Russian forces fired various missiles at Dnipro in central Ukraine this morning. They say the goal was to cripple Ukraine's infrastructure. The statement continued: In particular, an ICBM was fired from the Astrakhan region of the Russian Federation. According to AFP, Ukrainian Air Force officials confirmed that this was the first time an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) had been fired in Ukraine since the start of the war. When asked about the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the Russian government evaded the question. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: We have nothing to say about this. But the Kremlin insisted it was making “maximum efforts” to avoid a nuclear conflict after updating its nuclear doctrine this week. The new policy allows Russia to use nuclear weapons against states that do not possess nuclear weapons, and Moscow said it should be taken as a warning to the West.
The Russian spokesman said: "Russia, in accordance with the principles of our country, emphasized that it takes a responsible position and makes maximum efforts not to allow such a conflict." The Ukrainian Air Force said in a statement that it had six missiles fired by Russia successfully shot down, but did not specify whether one of them was a Russian ICBM. Russian airstrikes reportedly damaged several homes in Dnipropetrovsk and caused widespread destruction across the city. Industrial areas and rehabilitation centers were also destroyed. Russia also said its air defense systems shot down two Shadow Storm missiles, but did not say whether the missiles were launched in Ukrainian airspace or on Russian soil. The Russian-Ukrainian war, which has been going on for more than two and a half years, has moved off the table of diplomacy and dialogue and is unfortunate due to the escalation of widespread tensions on both sides, especially after the bitter crossing of the 1,000-day limit. Although several world leaders have called on Presidents Putin and Zelensky to resort to diplomacy to achieve a favorable outcome to the war, neither country has used lethal long-range missiles.
