KYIV (Reuters) – Russia launched a medium-range missile from the southern Astrakhan region during an early morning attack on Ukraine on Thursday, Kyiv’s air force said, the first time Russia has used such a powerful, long-range missile during the war.
The strikes come after Ukraine used US and British missiles to strike targets inside Russia this week, which Moscow had warned for months would be seen as a major escalation.
The Russian airstrikes targeted businesses and important buildings in the central-eastern city of Dnipro, the air force said, during an escalation in the 33-month war launched by Russia in Ukraine.
It was unclear from the statement which intercontinental ballistic missile was targeted and if it caused any damage.
The missiles have a range of thousands of kilometers and can be used to deliver nuclear weapons, although they can also have conventional warheads.
Ukrainian air defense shot down six Kh-101 missiles during the attack.
“In particular, an intercontinental ballistic missile was launched from the Astrakhan region of the Russian Federation,” the air force said, describing the types of weapons used in the attack.
It did not say what type of intercontinental ballistic missile was fired.
(Reporting by Anastasia Malenko and Tom Balmforth; Editing by Bernadette Baum)