Kiev says Russia launched first 'ICBM' intercontinental missile attack against Ukraine

Ukraine says Russian forces have launched an intercontinental missile in their first such attack against the country. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that Russia launched an intercontinental ballistic missile overnight at one of its cities.

"Today it was a new Russian missile. All the parameters: speed, altitude -- match those of an intercontinental ballistic missile [ICBM]," Zelensky said in a statement on social media. "All expert evaluations are underway."

Zelensky did not provide any proof that an ICBM was used in the attack on the central city of Dnipro, apparently armed with conventional warheads. If his claim is confirmed, it would be the first time Russian forces have used such a weapon in the war.

Two American government sources told US media the missile fired by the Russian forces was an intermediate-range ballistic missile or IRBM.

The alleged attack comes in a week when tensions have repeatedly soared, as the Biden administration lifted the prohibition to use long-range missiles inside Russia and the Kremlin lowered its threshold for launching nuclear weapons.

Earlier on Thursday, Russia said it shot down two British-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles fired from Ukraine.

"Air defense systems shot down two UK-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles, six US-made HIMARS rockets, and 67 fixed-wing drones," the Russian Ministry of Defense said.

UK and US media earlier reported that Ukraine fired a barrage of British-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles inside Russia on Wednesday.

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"This is a new escalation. It is a very irresponsible stance taken by the outgoing [US President Joe Biden’s] administration," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense said Ukraine fired ATACMS missiles at Russia’s Bryansk region on Tuesday night. Five missiles were intercepted by Pantsir and S-400 systems, while one was damaged.

The long-range UK-made Storm Shadow missiles were used by Ukraine for the first time, reportedly striking the Kursk region.

Russian President Vladimir Putin lowered the nation's nuclear weapons threshold after the outgoing Biden administration removed the ban on Kiev to use Western-supplied long-range missiles against Russia.

On Tuesday, Putin signed a decree revising Russia’s nuclear doctrine to indicate the Kremlin's preparedness to respond aggressively to Ukrainian strikes inside Russia.

The old doctrine had a higher threshold for the kind of conventional attack that could trigger a nuclear response by Russia, specifying that an attack must threaten “the very existence of the state” to qualify for nuclear retaliation.

Months ago, western media reports said that the Americans, the British and the Germans had begun to provide Kiev with long-range missiles. 

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