Russia fires ICBM at Ukraine in first combat use, shoots down UK-made Storm Shadow missiles as conflict escalates

Video of the ICMB attack, posted by ukraine_defence on Instagram

Russia has launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at Ukraine from its southern Astrakhan region for the first time since the war, marking a major escalation in the conflict that has been raging on for over 1,000 days.

Kyiv said that the missile was launched on Thursday morning targeting Dnipro city in central-east of the country, Reuters reported.

It said that this was the "first combat use of an intercontinental ballistic missile in human history."

Separately, the Russian defence ministry said on Thursday that its air defence systems shot down two British-made Storm Shadow missiles, six HIMARS rockets and 67 drones.

The announcement came in the ministry's daily roundup of the “special military operation” in Ukraine. It didn't say when or where exactly it happened or what the missiles were targeting.

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Two wounded in Russian attack

Ukraine's air force did not give any details about the type of missile, but said it was launched from Russia's Astrakhan region, which borders the Caspian Sea.

The Russian attack targeted enterprises and critical infrastructure in the central-eastern city of Dnipro, the air force said.

Ukraine said that along with the ICBM, Russia launched eight other missiles, six of which were shot down.

Two people were wounded as a result of the attack, and an industrial facility and a rehabilitation centre for people with disabilities were damaged, according to local officials.

Meanwhile, oil prices climbed over 2% on Thursday as the Russia-Ukraine conflict escalated, overshadowing the impact of a bigger-than-expected increase in US crude inventories.

This is for the first time Russia has used such a powerful, long-range missile during the war.

While the range of an ICBM would seem excessive for use against Ukraine, such missiles are designed to carry nuclear warheads, and the use of one would serve as a chilling reminder of Russia's nuclear capability and a powerful message of potential escalation.

The attack comes a day after Ukraine launched the British-French-made Storm Shadow missiles at targets inside Russia for the first time since the war. Moscow had warned for months that such an attack would be seen as a major escalation.

November 19 marked the 1,000th day since Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with no signs of the conflict abating.

The same day, President Vladimir Putin signed a revised nuclear doctrine declaring that a conventional attack on Russia by any nation supported by a nuclear power will be considered a joint attack on his country.

(With inputs from Reuters)