For the first time since the war broke out between Russian and Ukraine in February 2022, Russia launched an intercontinental ballistic missile, capable of carrying a nuclear bomb, into Ukraine this morning (Thursday).
The missile was launched from the southern Astrakhan region of Russia, the Russian action comes in response to US long-range missile launches by Ukraine deep into Russian territory.
The unusual attack, which also included a number of cruise missiles, was aimed at factories and "critical infrastructure" in central-eastern Ukraine. It is unclear at this stage whether the missile was intercepted and what damage, if any, was caused.
Ukrainian air defense shot down six Kh-101 cruise missiles during the attack, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said, adding that "in particular, an intercontinental ballistic missile was launched from the Astrakhan region of the Russian Federation," the air force said, detailing the types of weapons used in the attack.
The report did not specify what type of intercontinental ballistic missile was fired, but it is a missile with a range of thousands of kilometers.
* Kikar Hashabbat contributed to this article.