Russia strikes with ICBMs for first time in Ukraine war: Kiev

The ICBM attack on Ukraine comes two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a revised nuclear doctrine that formally lowers the threshold for the country’s use of nuclear weapons. File | Photo credit: AP

Ukraine says Russia launched a intercontinental ballistic missile overnight targeting the country’s east-central city of Dnipro, which, if confirmed, would be the first time Moscow has used such a missile in the war.

In a statement on Thursday (Nov 21, 2024) on the Telegram messaging app, the Ukrainian air force did not specify the exact type of missile, but said it was launched from Russia’s Astrakhan region, which borders the Caspian Sea.

An intercontinental ballistic missile is said to have been fired at the city of Dnipro along with eight other missiles, and the Ukrainian military shot down six of them.

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Two people were injured in the attack, and an industrial facility and a rehabilitation center for the disabled were damaged, according to local officials.

While the range of an ICBM would seem excessive for use against Ukraine, such missiles are designed to carry nuclear warheads, and the use of one would serve as a chilling reminder of Russia’s nuclear capability and a strong message of potential escalation.

Nuclear doctrine revised

The attack comes two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a revised nuclear doctrine which formally lowers the threshold for the country’s use of nuclear weapons. Ukraine launched several American-supplied longer-range missiles on Tuesday and reportedly launched British-made Storm Shadows into Russia on Wednesday.

The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Thursday that its air defense systems shot down two British-made Storm Shadow missiles, six HIMARS missiles and 67 drones. The announcement came in the ministry’s daily summary of military actions in Ukraine.

The statement did not say when or where exactly it happened or what the missiles were aimed at. This is not Moscow’s first public announcement of the downing of Storm Shadow missiles, as Russia previously reported that it had shot down some over the annexed Crimean Peninsula.

The international dimension

The developments come as the war has taken on an increasingly international dimension with the arrival of North Korean troops to help Russia on the battlefield – a development that US officials said prompted US President Joe Biden’s policy shift from allowing Ukraine to fire longer-range US missiles at Russia. The Kremlin responded with threats of further escalation.

Mr Putin has previously warned the US and other NATO allies that allowing Ukraine to use longer-range Western-supplied weapons to strike Russian territory would mean Russia and NATO are at war.

And the new doctrine allows for a potential nuclear response by Moscow even to a conventional attack on Russia by any nation that is backed by a nuclear power.

While the doctrine provides for a possible Russian nuclear response to a conventional strike, it is broadly worded to avoid a firm commitment to use nuclear weapons and keep Putin’s options open.