Russia first used an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) during another attack on Ukraine. The strike affected industrial facilities near the city of Dnepr.
Reuters writes about this.
According to data, the missile was launched from the Astrakhan region, which is an unprecedented case of the use of such a powerful weapon.
As a result of the attack, businesses were damaged, fires broke out in the city, and a rehabilitation center for people with disabilities was damaged. Ukrainian air defense forces managed to shoot down six Kh-101 cruise missiles fired during the same attack.
The incident occurred in the context of an aggravation of the situation after the first attacks on Russian territory with Western ammunition. Russian leaders, after signing a new defense doctrinal declaration, declared countries that support Ukraine parties to the conflict.
Intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) are strategic weapons capable of traveling more than 5,500 kilometers and carrying nuclear warheads. Russia has several such systems, including the newer RS-28 Sarmat and the already proven RS-24 Yars.
Sarmat is a silo-based heavy liquid-powered ICBM that entered service in 2023. It is capable of carrying up to 10 tons of payload, including several nuclear warheads, and has a record flight range of up to 18,000 km. . The developers equipped the missile with technologies that allow it to overcome modern missile defense systems, thanks to the high speed and maneuverable characteristics of the warheads.
Yars, in turn, is a solid-fuel ICBM that can be based on both silos and mobile platforms. This missile, in service since 2011, is equipped with a warhead with multiple warheads that are individually aimed at the target. Yars is capable of traveling up to 12,000 km and is characterized by its mobility, which significantly complicates its detection and neutralization.
Previously, Kursor wrote that the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Donbass faced the threat of an encirclement in a key sector of the front.
The situation in the Kurakhovsky front sector remains one of the most tense for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
