Russia has fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, according to a report from the Ukrainian Air Force. This was a non-nuclear attack though ICBMs are the typical delivery vehicle for a nuclear weapon. If it’s true, this is the first time any nation has used an ICBM in the history of war. It’s also possible that this wasn’t an ICBM at all, but a new kind of medium-range ballistic missile or IRBM.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, the Russian missile was launched from the Astrakhan region of Russia and flew more than 435 miles to strike its target in Dnipro. Ukrainian media outlets are reporting that the specific missile used was an RS-26 Rubezh, a medium-range ICBM. But that’s still unconfirmed.
“Today, our insane neighbor has once again revealed its true nature—its disdain for dignity, freedom, and human life itself. And, most of all, its fear,” Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on X. “Fear so overwhelming that it unleashes missile after missile, scouring the globe for more weapons—whether from Iran or North Korea. Today, it was a new Russian missile. Its speed and altitude suggest intercontinental ballistic capabilities. Investigations are ongoing.”
In a strange bit of political theater in Russia, Moscow’s Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman—Maria Zakharova—took a phone call during a live briefing with the press. A loud male voice was audible on the phone, the microphones in the room picked it up. It told Zakharova not to talk about the missile launch.
In a new "can't make this shit up" . moment, Maria Zakharova gets a call during her live presser today, and you can hear a male voice tell her to not comment the ICBM launch. Is this another Moscow4 moment, or is it a staged poker bluff meant for the West? pic.twitter.com/d3MUB9YKF4
— [email protected] (@christogrozev) November 21, 2024
ICBMs, if that’s what it was, are synonymous with nuclear weapons, but they can carry a conventional payload. Nazi rocket scientists developed early versions of the weapons during World War II. During the Cold War, both the United States and the Soviet Union developed the weapons as a means to carry a nuclear weapon across the planet and strike their enemies without placing a bomber or other aircraft near the target. Today, both the United States and Russia are covered in silos that house nuclear ICBMs. America is on track to spend almost $2 trillion over the next few years to upgrade its arsenal.
The Russian missile launch comes two days after Kyiv struck Russia with a U.S.-supplied ATACMS missile. President Biden previously prevented Ukraine from hitting targets deep inside Russia but recently lifted the restriction. Russia said that the use of the weapons represented an escalation of the war.
Also this week, Russia unveiled a revised doctrine around the use of nuclear weapons. Moscow made sure to highlight the changes in recent weeks, but experts have said they’re not more worried than they typically are. “Russia has changed its written policy regarding the conditions in which it would use nuclear weapons, but I don’t think these changes represent a break in continuity from past Russian nuclear weapons policy,” Jeffrey Lewis, a director at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, said in a post on X. “Same wine, new bottle.”
“It’s clear that Putin is using Ukraine as a testing ground. It’s also clear that he is terrified of normal life next to him. A life where people live with dignity. A country that wants to be free and has the right to be independent,” Zelenskyy said. “Putin will do anything to keep his neighbor from slipping out of his grasp. And I thank every Ukrainian—men and women alike—who defend Ukraine from this evil with resilience, bravery, and strength. With dignity. Dignity. It’s one of the defining words for Ukraine. And it’s a word that will likely never again be spoken about Russia.”
ICBMNuclear weaponsRussiaUkraineWar
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Source: Gizmodo