LONDON: Ever since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has tried to discourage the West from supplying Kyiv with ever stronger weaponry by threatening retaliation and escalation of the warfare. On every event – the provision of short-range missiles, tanks, F-16 fighter jets, longer-range missiles – Moscow’s bluff has been referred to as.
This week the Kremlin lastly adopted by means of on its menace. Some 72 hours after the US gave permission to Kyiv to use long-range US, UK and French missiles on targets inside Russia, Moscow hit back with a strike on Ukraine of the likes we have now not seen earlier than – the primary fight use of what Kyiv referred to as a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
Within the early hours of Thursday (Nov 21), Russian forces struck Dnipro, in south central Ukraine, with what President Vladimir Putin referred to as an experimental Oreshnik missile and Ukrainian officers recognized as an RS-26 Rubezh ICBM. The RS-26 is a take a look at missile based mostly on one other Russia ICBM, however with a a lot shorter vary.
Though it’s listed as an ICBM beneath the 2010 New Begin nuclear arms treaty, some analysts have questioned whether or not the RS-26 qualifies as one and Western officers have hesitated to name it as such. Additional muddying the waters, the Russian president described the Oreshnik as intermediate vary.
Both approach, and regardless of the title, the assault was a message.
