Russia fires intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time in the conflict, Ukraine says

An intercontinental ballistic missile test taking place in northwestern Russia in 2022. Credit: AP

Russia launched an overnight attack using intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) for the first time since the conflict began, Ukraine has said.

The Ukrainian air force said it shot down six ICBMs out of a total of nine fired from Russia's Astrakhan region towards the city of Dnipro.

Two people were wounded as a result of the attack, and an industrial facility and a rehabilitation center for people with disabilities were damaged, according to local officials.

ICBMs are long-range missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a revised nuclear doctrine which lowered the threshold over which the country could fire nuclear weapons.

UK Defence Secretary John Healey said Thursday that the recent developments mark a "serious moment" in the war.

Healey added: "Defence intelligence will reveal today that the frontline is now less stable than at any time since the early days of the full scale Russian invasion in February 2022."

Watch as Defence Secretary John Healey tells parliament's defence committee

He added a clear escalation from Putin has taken place in recent weeks, including more attacks on Ukraine's energy system and civilians, and the deployment of North Korean troops.

Asked whether British storm shadow long range missiles had been launched into Russia, he said he "won't be drawn on the operational details" of the conflict.

Putin's new doctrine allows for a potential nuclear response by Moscow even to a conventional attack on Russia by any nation that is supported by a nuclear power.

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Thursday's ICBM attack on Ukraine follows a Kremlin promise of retaliation, after Ukraine launched American and British long-range missiles into Russian territory for the first time on Tuesday.

Ukraine's strike resulted from a week of US foreign policy shifts and firsts, which saw President Joe Biden permit the country to fire the weapons at Russia and anti-personnel mines sent to Ukraine.

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