Russia launches 1st intercontinental ballistic missile at Ukraine
In a first, Russia has reportedly fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at Ukraine. It is the first known usage of such a massive, nuclear-capable weapon with a range of thousands of kilometers, Kyiv's air force said. The missile strike, which took place on Thursday morning, targeted critical infrastructure in the city of Dnipro. Ukrainian officials stated the ICBM was launched from Astrakhan in southern Russia. However, no details of casualties or injuries have been reported yet.
US decision to supply missiles escalates tension
Russia also launched a Kinzhal hypersonic missile and seven Kh-101 cruise missiles, six of which were shot down, according to the air force. The latest escalation in the conflict comes after United States President Joe Biden allowed Ukraine to use American-supplied long-range missiles, responding to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's appeal to Western allies to ease restrictions on donated weapons. In retaliation, the Kremlin had warned of consequences after the US's decision.
Ukraine retaliates with British missiles, Russia continues offensive
In other developments, Ukraine allegedly deployed British Storm Shadow cruise missiles against Russian targets on Wednesday. Tensions rose this week as the 1,000th day of the war passed. On Tuesday, Ukraine launched US ATACMS missiles into Russia after Biden gave the go-ahead to do so, two months before leaving office and Donald Trump taking over. Trump has stated that he will stop the war, and has criticized Biden's billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine.
