Ukraine says Russia used 'new' kind of missile as war escalates

Ukraine said Russia launched a “new” kind of ballistic missile at the city of Dnipro, in the latest escalation of hostilities and an alarming signal to Kyiv’s Western backers.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Thursday the weapon had all the parameters of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). But a U.S. official, asking not to be identified discussing information that isn’t public, later said it was an experimental medium-range ballistic missile, which has a shorter range.

It was launched from the Astrakhan region by the Caspian Sea, a distance of around 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), as part of a larger barrage targeting central Ukraine early on Thursday, according to officials in Kyiv.

“Obviously, Putin is using Ukraine as a testing ground,” Zelenskiy said in a video address on his Telegram account posted on Thursday.

The launch of an ICBM, which has a range of more than 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles) and is primarily designed to deliver nuclear weapons, would mark a significant step up in Moscow’s attacks.

Russia had warned the U.S. and its allies that it would retaliate for the use of American and British-made missiles by Ukraine on Russian territory earlier this month. Those weapons have ranges of only a few hundred miles, however, and the allies authorized their use inside Russia after it deployed thousands of North Korean troops in the fight against Ukraine’s forces.

Oil, gold and wheat rose on Kyiv’s assertions an ICBM had been launched against Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov referred questions about the missile launch to Russia’s Defense Ministry, while separately saying that Moscow takes a “responsible position” to avoiding nuclear conflict, the state-run Tass news agency reported.

“This is a very powerful message from Putin,” said Ruslan Pukhov, head of the Moscow-based Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies. “It’s a very calculated move as it does not require retaliation by the U.S.”

The U.S. had warned Ukraine and its other allies that Russia might use the experimental weapon, the American official said, noting that Moscow has used missiles with significantly larger warheads in its previous attacks.

Ukraine is waiting for experts to confirm the type of missile that was used, the country’s Foreign Ministry said later on Thursday. Kyiv will ask its Western partners for air defense systems capable of intercepting ICBMs, the ministry’s spokesman said.

One of the systems Ukraine could ask for is the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system produced by Lockheed Martin Corp, the spokesman said.

Since the start of the war, Ukraine has persuaded its western allies to provide the country other advanced air-defense systems, including the U.S.-made Patriot batteries, despite initial hesitation on the part of its allies.

The unconfirmed reports of the launch are “deeply concerning,” U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesman, Dave Pares, earlier told reporters at a regular briefing on Thursday. “If true, clearly this would be another example of grave, reckless and escalatory behavior from Russia and only serves to strengthen our resolve.”

Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin has lowered the threshold for the use of Moscow’s nuclear arsenal as President Joe Biden reversed course and allowed Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied ATACMS missiles to strike Russia. Ukraine also used U.K.-made Storm Shadow missiles against Russian targets.

“It’s a very dangerous position that the outgoing administration is taking,” Peskov said of the U.S. decision, according to Tass. “There is a new escalation happening.”

Members of President-elect Donald Trump’s circle have taken a similar stance, criticizing the Biden administration’s approach as leading to a spiral of escalating attacks.

An industrial facility was damaged in Dnipro Thursday, according to regional governor Serhiy Lysak, while other reports said that a rehabilitation center for veterans was damaged.

Explosions were heard in the central city of Kryvyi Rih after a second nationwide alert was announced due to the threat of a new ballistic missile attack, city mayor Oleksandr Vilkul said on Telegram. There was no information on casualties or damage.

The embassies of the U.S. and some European Union countries in Kyiv temporarily closed on Wednesday in anticipation of a major retaliatory missile strike by Russia. The embassies reopened Thursday.

Six of seven Kh-101 cruise missiles were downed during the morning attack, Ukraine’s Air Force command said on Telegram. They didn’t provide additional information on the ICBM they said was involved or the launch of a Kinzhal missile, another type of high-speed projectile that was used the attack, only saying they resulted in no “significant consequences,” according to the statement.

Half of the power consumers in the Dnipropetrovsk region are without electricity due to supply cuts after the attack, Serhii Kovalenko, a manager at Yasno distribution company said on Facebook.

Some of Ukraine’s dollar bonds gained slightly. Despite the escalating conflict, the sovereign notes issued by the government in Kyiv have been boosted recently by investor bets that Trump’s return to the White House will bring steps toward a truce between Ukraine and Russia.

—With assistance from Maxim Edwards, Andras Gergely, Thomas Hall, Ailbhe Rea, Henry Meyer, Olesia Safronova, Tony Capaccio, Natalia Drozdiak and Jenny Leonard.