Russia fired intercontinental ballistic missile at Ukraine for first time: Kyiv

Moscow on Thursday launched an intercontinental ballistic missile at Ukraine for the first time, Kyiv said, marking the latest escalation of the conflict since Ukraine fired Western-supplied long-range missiles on Russia.

The Ukrainian air force said in a statement that Russian forces in the morning had launched several types of missiles at the central city of Dnipro, targeting critical infrastructure.

“In particular, an intercontinental ballistic missile was launched from the Astrakhan region of the Russian Federation,” the statement said.

A source in the Ukrainian air force confirmed to news agency AFP that it was the first time since the Kremlin launched its invasion that its forces had deployed the weapon.

The source added it was “obvious” that the missile, which is designed to carry both conventional and nuclear warheads, did not carry a nuclear charge.

Asked whether Moscow fired the missile, which can hit targets thousands of kilometres away, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he had “nothing to say on this topic.”

Air defence units downed six missiles, the air force said, without elaborating on whether the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) had been downed.

The head of the wider region where the city of Dnipro is located said the Russian aerial bombardment had damaged a rehabilitation centre and several homes, as well as an industrial enterprise.

“Two people were wounded — a 57-year-old man was treated on the scene and a 42-year-old woman was hospitalised,” the official, Sergiy Lysak.

Russia and Ukraine have escalated their use of deadly long-range missiles over recent days since the United States gave permission to use its ATACMS against military targets inside Russia — a long-standing Ukrainian request.

British media meanwhile reported on Wednesday that Kyiv had launched UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles at targets in Russia after being given the green light from London.

The defence ministry in Moscow said its air defence systems had downed two Storm Shadows, without saying whether they were downed on Russian territory or in occupied Ukraine. 

What is the intercontinental ballistic missile Ukraine says Russia fired?

A Russian intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that Ukraine says was fired at the city of Dnipro on Thursday was an RS-26 Rubezh, Ukraine’s Ukrainska Pravda media outlet reported, citing anonymous sources.

According to defence sources, however, there are doubts as to whether the weapon used was the RS-26 Rubezh, and said that an accurate assessment based on the available imagery would be difficult.

Facts about ballistic missiles, ICBMs and the RS-26

– A ballistic missile is a rocket-propelled, self-guided weapon that falls towards its target by force of gravity.

– An ICBM refers to a ballistic missile with a range of more than 5,500 km (3,420 miles)

– U.S. think-tank the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said that although the R-26 is classified as an ICBM under the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty between the United States and Russia, it can also fall into the category of an intermediate-range ballistic missile when used with heavier payloads at ranges below 5,500 km.

Rapid flight

– Ballistic missiles including ICBMs can be fired in a depressed mode, meaning that they do not enter space and their trajectory stays within the atmosphere. That would use up more fuel and reduces their range.

– ICBMs fly at speeds of several kilometres per second. Coming from Russia, an ICBM would take around 40 minutes to reach a target in the United States coming from Russia, according to a military source. The more than 700 km journey to Dnipro from the Russian region of Astrakhan, from where Ukraine’s air force said the weapon was fired on Thursday, would take less than 10 minutes.

First successful test in 2012

– ICBMs are designed to carry nuclear warheads, although technically they can carry any payload of equal or lesser mass, with modifications. There was no suggestion that a nuclear weapon was fired on Thursday.

– According to the US-based Arms Control Association, the RS-26 has a range of up to 5,800 km.

– The CSIS said the RS-26 was first successfully tested in 2012 and is estimated to be 12 metres long and weigh 36 tons and can carry an 800-kg (1,760-lb) nuclear warhead. It never formally entered service, according to experts.