Intercontinental Ballistic Missile: Ukraine has accused Russia of launching an intercontinental ballistic missile. Here’s what we know

CNN
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Ukraine’s military has accused Russia of firing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into its territory for the first time, marking what would be another significant escalation in the 1,000-day-old war.

Despite Kyiv’s accusation, a Western official told reporters that the missile fired by Russia was a ballistic missile but not an ICBM. The Kremlin has declined to comment on the case.

At least two people were injured in the attack on Dnipro, the head of the Ukrainian region’s military administration said. A number of buildings were also damaged.

Here’s what we know.

Ukraine’s air force accused Russia of firing an intercontinental ballistic missile at Dnipro at around 5 a.m. local time from the Astrakhan region in southern Russia.

It did not say what kind of ICBM Russia is alleged to have used, and CNN has not been able to verify that claim.

Later Thursday, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi said the country was awaiting “expert conclusions” to determine what type of missile Russia fired at it, adding that it “had all the flight characteristics of an ICBM.”

Ukraine’s military also said an X-47M2 Kinzhal ballistic missile was fired along with seven cruise missiles in the attack, adding that all but one of the cruise missiles were shot down.

“The other missiles did not cause significant consequences,” the military said.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attack proves his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin is “so scared that he is already using new missiles.”

“Today, our crazy neighbor has once again shown who he really is and how he despises dignity, freedom and human life in general,” Zelensky said in a video posted to Telegram, adding that the Russian weapon had “all the characteristics: speed, altitude – of an intercontinental ballistic missile.”

A Western official has disputed Ukraine’s version of events, saying that while the missile fired by Russia was a ballistic missile, it was not an intercontinental one.

Speaking to reporters in Laos, where a summit of Asian nations’ defense ministers is being held, the official declined to further characterize the missile, saying its effectiveness was still being assessed.

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on Kyiv’s accusation Thursday morning. In a call with reporters, Peskov said he had “nothing to say” and referred reporters to the Russian military when asked about the missile.

Ukraine’s accusation comes during a tense week in the conflict, which is now more than 1,000 days old.

This week, both American and British/French-made missiles have been fired into Russia by Ukraine after US President Joe Biden authorized Ukraine to use longer-range US missiles across the border.

On Tuesday, Russia’s Defense Ministry and two US officials said Ukraine had launched a US-made missile ATACMS into Russia for the first time.

The Russian Defense Ministry also said its air force shot down two British/French-made Storm Shadow missiles, acknowledging Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons.

In return, Putin updated Russia’s nuclear doctrine, with the Kremlin saying the revised military doctrine would, in theory, lower the bar for the first use of nuclear weapons.

An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a long-range weapon that is launched into space and then releases a warhead or warheads that re-enter the atmosphere to fall on their target.

ICBMs are considered to have a minimum range of 5,500 kilometers (3,400 miles), but some versions can go much further, more than 9,000 kilometers (5,590 miles), according to the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation.

The first ICBM rocket was launched in 1957 by the then Soviet Union. The United States followed in 1959.

Other types of ballistic missiles include intermediate range (IRBM), between 3,000 kilometers and 5,000 kilometers; medium range, between 1,000 and 3,000 kilometers; and short range, less than 1,000 kilometers.

Ukraine uses a Patriot missile defense system supplied by the United States and Germany to intercept incoming ballistic missile warheads, according to the Missile Threat Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The Patriot system is designed to engage incoming warheads, either with its own exploding warhead or with kinetic interceptors – so-called “hit-to-kill” technology, which destroys the incoming warhead by striking it directly.

Patriot interceptors have a vertical range of about 20 kilometers (12 miles) and defend an area of ​​about 15 to 20 kilometers around the battery, according to the Congressional Research Service.

But Ukraine has only a limited number of Patriots and batteries. Some cities, like the capital Kiev, enjoy greater protection than others.

The Dnipropetrovsk region has been a frequent target of Russian bombardment in recent months.

It borders the partially occupied Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions and has become a hub for people who have fled areas now under Russian control.

The region is now home to more than 400,000 internally displaced people. Dnipro, the fourth largest city in Ukraine, is an important center of life in the eastern part of the country.

It is relatively close to the front lines, but still fairly well protected by air defenses. That, plus its transport infrastructure connections to the rest of the country, make the city a central hub in Ukraine’s war effort.

The head of Ukraine’s military administration in Dnipropetrovsk said Russia “massively attacked” the region on Thursday morning.

Two people were injured after houses were damaged, and a rehabilitation center for people with disabilities was also affected in the attack, Serhiy Lysak said on Telegram.

There were two fires in Dnipro and “damage to an industrial enterprise,” he added.