Russia fires first intercontinental ballistic missile into Ukraine
- 21 November, 19:47
Russia has struck Ukraine with intercontinental ballistic missile, in the first of these weapon’s use in any armed conflict.
Russia fired a ballistic missile at Ukraine’s central-eastern Dnipro region from Russia’s Astrakhan region to on Thursday. Ukrainian Air force that the missile was struck “without consequences”, while adding that the information about victims had yet to be verified.
"Today there was a new Russian missile. All the characteristics – speed, altitude – are (of an) intercontinental ballistic missile. An expert (investigation) is currently underway," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a video statement on Thursday.
Video said to be of the incident from a distance showed the ground being struck in multiple flashes.
The claim of Russia firing an intercontinental ballistic missile was not immediately confirmed, with some Western media outlets claiming that the weapon was in fact a shorter-range ballistic missile, similar to the types used repeatedly by Kremlin.
Hours after speculation, Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed reported that its troops fired a “ballistic missile with a non-nuclear hypersonic warhead” with a medium range at Russia. “In response to the use of American and British long-range weapons, on November 21 of this year the Russian armed forces launched a combined strike on one of the facilities of the Ukrainian defense industry,” Putin said in a televised statement.
Putin’s statement came after White House’s National Security Council said Russia launched an experimental medium-range ballistic missile against Ukraine, claiming that Kyiv had capabilities to counter Russian attacks with larger warheads than this weapon.
It should be noted that nine projectiles were launched at Dnipro from 5am and 7am with intercontinental ballistic missile that has a range of 1,000 kilometers.
