Russia fires intercontinental ballistic missile at Ukraine, Kyiv says
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The news: Russia has launched an intercontinental ballistic missile at Ukraine’s fourth largest city, Dnipro, from its southern Astrakhan region, according to Ukrainian officials, in the first recorded use in war of the weapon designed to deliver long-distance nuclear strikes.
The numbers: Media identified the missile used in the attack as a RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The strike injured two people and damaged an industrial facility in the central-eastern city, Reuters reported citing local authorities.
Russia also fired seven Kh-101 cruise missiles, six of which were intercepted, and a Kinzhal hypersonic missile, the Ukrainian air force said.
The context: The RS-26 Rubezh is a solid-fuelled missile classified as an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) under the US-Russia New START treaty. It is primarily designed to carry nuclear warheads with a range of up to 5,800 km, according to the Arms Control Association.
While primarily a nuclear delivery system, the RS-26 Rubezh is considered an expensive and imprecise option for conventional strikes, with its use likely intended as a deterrence signal rather than for tactical effectiveness, experts noted.
The attack follows Ukraine’s use of British Storm Shadow and US ATACMS missiles earlier this week in strikes on Russian targets, including in Kursk. That was despite Moscow warning Western long-range missile use inside Russian territory would escalate the conflict.
What they said: In a video, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, “today there was a new Russian missile. All the characteristics – speed, altitude – are (of an) intercontinental ballistic (missile). An expert (investigation) is currently underway.”
British Defence Secretary John Healey referred on Thursday to “unconfirmed reports” of “a new ballistic missile” launched at Ukraine that the Russians “have been preparing for months”.
Pavel Podvig, a senior researcher at the UN Institute for Disarmament Research in Geneva posted on X that “using these kinds of missiles, whether RS-26 or a true ICBM, in a conventional role does not make a lot of sense because of their relatively low accuracy and high cost. But this kind of a strike might have a value as a signal.”
Andrey Baklitskiy, a researcher at the UN Institute for Disarmament Research said on X, “If true this will be totally unprecedented and the first actual military use of ICBM. Not that it makes a lot of sense given their price and precision.”
The sources: Reuters , The Financial Times , The New York Times , Bloomberg
