During the night against Thursday, the metropolis of Dnipro in central Ukraine was attacked, reported the newspaper The Kyiv Independent. Whether an intercontinental missile was used, as Ukraine has claimed, has been unclear. The missile in question was fired, according to Ukrainian information, from Astrakhan, nearly 100 miles from Dnipro, near the Caspian Sea in southern Russia.
All characteristics – speed, altitude – match an intercontinental ballistic missile, said Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to AFP.
"Experimental" missile
According to Ukraine's air defense, a hypersonic missile of the Russian-developed type Kinzhal, as well as seven cruise missiles, were used in the attack.
However, according to an initial American assessment, it was rather an "experimental" ballistic missile with medium-range and not an intercontinental missile that was used in the attack, according to sources for both AFP and AP.
Russia may be trying to use the attack to intimidate Ukraine and its sympathizers... but it will not change anything in this conflict, says an American source to AFP.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin confirms in a televised address to the nation that it was a test of a new missile, with a medium-range. The attack was a response to attacks earlier in the week that Ukraine had made with American and British missiles, according to Putin.
Putin also threatens to use the new type of medium-range missiles against countries that have allowed Kyiv to use weapons from them to attack Russia. American air defense systems will not protect against these, claims Putin.
According to the governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, Serhij Lysak, two people were injured in the attack. Several buildings are also said to have been damaged.
Blames the USA
The Kremlin's spokesperson, Dmitrij Peskov, believes that the USA is to blame for the escalation – likely referring to the USA's decision to, among other things, allow Ukraine to attack targets in Russia with American Atacms missiles.
The outgoing government's policy is very irresponsible and continues to fuel the fire, claims Peskov.
Since the full-scale invasion in February 2022, Russia has daily attacked Ukraine with missiles and drones.
An intercontinental ballistic missile (usually abbreviated ICBM) is a weapon with long-range. The missile is fired into space and releases its warheads at high altitude. These then fly towards their targets in a high and fast trajectory.
Ballistic missiles are divided into different classes depending on their range. Short-range is under 100 miles, medium-range between 100 and 550 miles, and intercontinental missiles beyond that. Some intercontinental missiles can, however, travel significantly longer – around 900 miles.
A ballistic missile is only controlled at the beginning of the launch, when the fuel is burning.
The first ICBM was launched by the former Soviet Union in 1957. The USA followed in 1959.
An intercontinental ballistic missile has a range of at least 5,500 kilometers. It is primarily developed to be able to carry nuclear weapons over long distances, but the one that was reportedly fired during the night was equipped with something else.
