Ukraine says Russia used ‘new’ type of missile as war escalates

On November 22, 2024By Littum

(Bloomberg) — Ukraine said Russia fired a “new” type of ballistic missile at the city of Dnipro, in the latest escalation of hostilities and an alarming signal to Kiev’s Western backers.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday that the weapon had all the parameters of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). But a US official, who asked not to be identified, discussing information that is not public, later said it was an experimental intermediate-range ballistic missile, which has a shorter range.

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It was launched from the Astrakhan region on the Caspian Sea, a distance of about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), as part of a larger barrage aimed at central Ukraine early Thursday, according to officials in Kiev.

“It is clear that Putin is using Ukraine as a testing ground,” Zelenskiy said in a video address on his Telegram account published on Thursday.

The launch of an ICBM, which has a range of more than 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles) and is primarily designed to deliver nuclear weapons, would mark a significant step forward in Moscow’s offensive.

Russia had warned the United States and its allies that it would retaliate for Ukraine’s use of American and British-made missiles on Russian territory earlier this month. However, these weapons have a range of only a few hundred miles, and the allies approved their use inside Russia after it deployed thousands of North Korean troops to fight Ukraine’s forces.

Oil, gold and wheat rose after Kyiv’s claims that an ICBM had been launched against Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov referred questions about the missile launch to Russia’s Defense Ministry, while separately saying Moscow is taking a “responsible position” to avoid nuclear conflict, state-run Tass news agency reported.

“This is a very powerful message from Putin,” said Ruslan Pukhov, head of the Moscow-based Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies. “It is a very calculated move as it does not require retaliation from the United States.”

The United States had warned Ukraine and its other allies that Russia might use the experimental weapon, the U.S. official said, noting that Moscow has used missiles with significantly larger warheads in its previous attacks.

Ukraine is waiting for experts to confirm what type of missile was used, the country’s foreign ministry said later Thursday. Kyiv will ask its Western partners for air defense systems capable of intercepting ICBMs, the ministry spokesman said.

One of the systems Ukraine could ask for is the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system produced by Lockheed Martin Corp, the spokesman said.

Since the start of the war, Ukraine has persuaded its Western allies to provide it with other advanced air defense systems, including the American-made Patriot batteries, despite initial reluctance on the part of its allies.

The unconfirmed reports of the launch are “deeply concerning,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesman, Dave Pares, told reporters earlier at a regular briefing on Thursday. “If true, this will clearly be another example of serious, reckless and escalating behavior by Russia and only serves to strengthen our resolve.”

Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin has lowered the threshold for the use of Moscow’s nuclear arsenal as President Joe Biden reversed course and allowed Ukraine to use US-supplied ATACMS missiles to attack Russia. Ukraine also used UK-made Storm Shadow missiles against Russian targets.

“It is a very dangerous position taken by the outgoing administration,” Peskov said of the US decision, according to Tass. “There is a new escalation happening.”

Members of President-elect Donald Trump’s circle have taken a similar stance, criticizing the Biden administration’s approach for leading to a spiral of escalating attacks.

An industrial facility was damaged in Dnipro on Thursday, according to regional governor Serhiy Lysak, while other reports said a rehabilitation center for veterans was damaged.

Explosions were heard in the central city of Kryvyi Rih after a second nationwide alert was announced due to the threat of a new ballistic missile attack, the city’s mayor Oleksandr Vilkul said on Telegram. There were no reports of casualties or damage.

The embassies of the United States and some EU countries in Kiev temporarily closed on Wednesday in anticipation of a major retaliatory missile attack from Russia. The embassies reopened on Thursday.

Six out of seven Kh-101 cruise missiles were shot down during the morning attack, Ukraine’s air force command said on Telegram. They did not provide further details about the ICBM they said was involved or the launch of a Kinzhal missile, another type of high-velocity projectile used in the attack, but said only that they did not result in any “significant consequences”. according to the declaration.

Half of the electricity consumers in the Dnipropetrovsk region are without electricity due to supply interruptions after the attack, Serhii Kovalenko, a manager at the Yasno distribution company, said on Facebook.

Some of Ukraine’s dollar bonds rose slightly. Despite the escalating conflict, sovereign notes issued by the government in Kiev have recently been boosted by investor bets that Trump’s return to the White House will bring steps toward a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia.

–With assistance from Andras Gergely, Thomas Hall, Ailbhe Rea, Henry Meyer, Olesia Safronova, Tony Capaccio, Natalia Drozdiak, Jenny Leonard and Maxim Edwards.