Russian attacks continue unabated, with Ukraine's air force reporting that Russia fired an intercontinental ballistic missile from the Astrakhan region on Thursday morning, an area southeast of Vologograd that borders the Caspian Sea.
"Specifically, an intercontinental ballistic missile was launched from the Astrakhan region of the Russian Federation," the air force said.
This is the first time that Russia used such a powerful long-range missile during the war.
Also, Ukraine's military said it shot down six Kh-101 cruise missiles fired by Russia.
The Russian attack targeted operations and vital infrastructure in the central-eastern city of Dnipro, the air force said. It is currently unclear whether the intercontinental ballistic missile caused casualties or damage.
"The other missiles did not cause any significant consequences," the statement said.
The missiles have a range of thousands of kilometers and can be used to carry nuclear warheads, although they can also carry conventional warheads.
The strike by Russia comes in retaliation after Ukraine fired ATACMS missiles into Russian territory for the first time on Tuesday, while Kiev also fired British Storm Shadow missiles yesterday. Although neither the UK nor Ukraine have confirmed the use of the long-range missiles on Russian soil, photos posted on the Telegram platform by Russian user accounts show fragments of a Storm Shadow missile.
The "green light" given by the US government to the use of US ATACMS missiles inside Russian territory has escalated the tension in recent days. Kiev has already hit, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Bryansk region with six ATACMS missiles, which did not cause any injuries. At the same time, in yet another policy change, Washington also approves the supply of anti-personnel mines to Ukraine.
Moscow, for its part, proceeded to revise its nuclear doctrine by lowering the threshold for nuclear use, however, regarding the use of Storm Shadow missiles, it has not made any comment or position.
Source: skai.gr
