Egypt Daily News – In the midst of the Russian-Ukrainian war and the tensions after the recent American decision, Ukraine announced something new that could change the balance.
Kiev confirmed that, on Thursday, Moscow fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at Ukraine for the first time, in the latest escalation of the war after Ukraine fired long-range missiles (ATACMS) supplied by the West at Russia.
The Ukrainian Air Force said that Russian forces used the missile in an early morning attack on the city of Dnipro. While a source confirmed that this is the first time that Moscow has used this weapon since the military operation in 2022, according to Agence France-Presse.
On the other hand, the Kremlin, on Thursday, refused to comment on Ukraine’s accusation that Moscow had launched an intercontinental missile on its territory for the first time.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said during a press briefing on Thursday, in response to a question whether Moscow launched the missile, which is designed to carry both conventional and nuclear warheads and can hit targets thousands of kilometers away, “I have nothing to say about that.”
This Russian move coincided with international tension after US President Joe Biden last week gave Ukraine the green light to use long-range missiles (ATACMS) provided by the United States to strike Russia.
In turn, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Western countries against such a step, saying that it would represent “direct participation” of NATO in the war against Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been calling for lifting restrictions on missiles known as ATACMS, for several months now allowing Kiev to strike outside its borders.
Russia said that Ukraine’s use American ATACMS missiles to strike Russian territory is a clear indication that the West wants to escalate the conflict.
