Russia Hits Ukraine With World’s First Nuclear-Capable ICBM Strike

Russia launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (icbm) at Ukraine, the Ukrainian Air Force claimed today.

This is the first-ever nuclear-capable icbm to be launched at another state in a time of war, and it comes just days after Russia updated its nuclear doctrine to allow more freedom in its use of nuclear weapons against nonnuclear states.

Target: The missile hit the central city of Dnipro, apparently near critical infrastructure. It is unclear exactly what missile was used or what warheads it was armed with; however, it was clearly not nuclear. The Ukrainian government has not yet provided any details on the damage.

Retaliation: The attack is a direct response to Ukraine striking deep in Russian territory with long-range missiles provided by the United States and Britain just two days before.

On Wednesday, Russia threatened major retaliation for the use of those missiles. Multiple nations, including the U.S., closed their embassies on Thursday in anticipation of an attack.

Details: The icbm was alleged to be the RS-26 Rubezh, according to Russian media. It can reach speeds five times the speed of sound: 3,835 miles per hour or 1,715 meters per second.

The RS-26 barely counts as an icbm, only reaching the minimum range in a test flight in which it was not carrying a payload. It’s most likely an intermediate range ballistic missile (irbm) that Russia claims is an icbm to get around a treaty banning it from developing the shorter-range missiles.

Multiple reentry vehicles were also employed in the attack. Even without an explosive, they weigh 1 ton and travel at 9,000 miles per hour, striking with the equivalent force of 2 tons of tnt.

Warning: The strike is likely a warning to the rest of the world. But the conflict in Ukraine will not escalate into nuclear war, as explained in “The Ukraine War Will Not Start World War III!”