Russia launches first intercontinental ballistic missile in combat history at Ukraine
Russia has launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at Ukraine, making it the first time one of these weapons has been fired in warfare, the Ukrainian air force has said.
The warhead was armed with a non-nuclear payload and was targeted at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, with the Ukrainian air force saying in a statement that the city was attacked by 'missiles of various types', including an ICMB 'launched from the Astrakhan region of the Russian Federation'.
In the statement, the Ukrainian air force said that several other missiles were fired at the city, with them able to shoot down six of them.
The Ukrainian accusation of Russia attacking them with an ICBM comes after a recent escalation in the conflict when the US finally allowed Ukraine to fire longer range missiles, known as ATACMS, at targets in Russia.
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Following the American approval of missile strikes in Russia, the UK followed suit and gave Ukraine permission to use the longer range Storm Shadow missiles, with Ukrainian forces having since used them on targets within Russian territory.
Ukraine had long asked for permission to fire missiles into Russia as, since the invasion, the country has been bombarded by Putin's forces and not been granted permission to use the weapons provided to them to strike targets inside Russia.
Responding to questions about the use of an ICMB in Ukraine, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters he had 'nothing to say', saying it was a 'question for our military'.
After the US gave permission for Ukraine to use ATACMS against targets in Russia, Russian president Vladimir Putin said that the invading nation had updated their nuclear doctrine.
As a result, they would consider any attack from a non-nuclear state that came with the participation of a nuclear power as a joint attack.
While the warhead Ukraine says Russia fired at it did not contain a nuclear payload, it is a demonstration that Russia has the capability to fire a missile, which can carry a nuclear warhead and strike targets almost anywhere in the world.
Putin had previously claimed that NATO countries allowing Ukraine to use weapons to strike targets in Russian territory would mean that Russia and NATO were at war.
The US also recently supplied Ukraine with landmines in an effort to slow down Russian advances, while Russia has repeatedly escalated the conflict, including bringing in North Korean troops to bolster their numbers.
It has been over 1,000 days since Putin first sent his troops into Ukraine for his brutal invasion, which has killed many thousands and forced millions from their homes.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky recently said that his country would lose the war if the US pulled funding, with the future of the conflict in doubt following a Republican victory in the US elections.
Incoming US president Donald Trump has claimed he will end the war within 24 hours, though has not given details on how this will be achieved, and there are fears that his closeness with Putin would lead to him removing support for Ukraine.
Topics: Ukraine, Russia, Vladimir Putin, World News
Joe Harker