This launch, if Ukrainian claims are accurate, comes after the US and UK allowed for the use of long range missiles into Russia. Both ATACM’s and Storm Shadows were subsequently launched after approval.
It would seem a message was delivered to the US/UK via this ICBM missile launch.
Brittanica
Generally speaking, An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range greater than 5,500 kilometres (3,400 mi).
Only the United States, Russia, and China field land-based missiles of this range. The first ICBMs were deployed by the Soviet Union in 1958; the United States followed the next year and China some 20 years later.
Reuters
KYIV, Nov 21 (Reuters) – Russia launched an intercontinental ballistic missile during an attack on Ukraine on Thursday, Kyiv’s air force said, in the first known use in the war of such a powerful, nuclear-capable weapon with a range of thousands of kilometres.
The air force reported the launch after Ukraine fired U.S. and British missiles at targets inside Russia this week, despite warnings by Moscow that it would see such action as a major escalation in the 33-month-old war.Clearly the US and UK are intent on escalating
Intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) are strategic weapons designed to deliver nuclear warheads and are an important part of Russia’s nuclear deterrent. The Ukrainians did not specify what kind of warhead the missile had or what type of missile it was.
There was no suggestion it was nuclear-armed.“In particular, an intercontinental ballistic missile was launched from the Astrakhan region of the Russian Federation,” it said, without specifying say what kind of ICBM was fired.
Defense Express, a Ukrainian defence consultancy, asked whether the United States, Kyiv’s main international ally, had been informed about the missile launch ahead of time.
“It is also a question of whether the United States was warned about the launch and its direction, as the announcement of such launches is a prerequisite for preventing the triggering of a missile warning system and the launch of missiles in response,” Defence Express wrote after the air force statement.
I’m not exactly sure if the missiles is an ICBM, according to Putin it’s some type of hybrid missile and that was the test firing. Also sending a message to the US/UK
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a televised address from the Kremlin on Thursday evening, outlining Moscow’s response to recent escalations of the Ukraine conflict.
He revealed that Russia had deployed a new hypersonic missile system in a strike on Ukrainian territory, criticized the United States for escalating tensions, and reiterated Moscow’s willingness to engage in peace talks while blaming Washington for the conflict becoming global in nature
ending with these words
I would like to emphasise once again that it was not Russia, but the United States that destroyed the international security system and, by continuing to fight, cling to its hegemony, they are pushing the whole world into a global conflict.
We have always preferred and are ready now to resolve all disputes by peaceful means. But we are also ready for any turn of events.
If anyone still doubts this, make no mistake: there will always be a response.
Video of Putin’s talk with the Russian people (dubbed in English)
3 replies on “Russia fires intercontinental ballistic missile in attack on Ukraine”
I’ve added three additional links- to read and watch.
You are right to doubt it was an ICBM. The narrative in the west is that it was an ICBM. I have yet to find a serious source that tells it is an ICBM. Even the formulation of Poutine makes it clear it is not an ICBM. The thing is, and that’s why the western media is so completely wrong, is something completely new and far more dangerous than classical ICBM.
Do not forget that ICBM is technology from the ’50s and ’60s. The apex of ICBM technology was the space race. Going to the moon was a worthwhile endeavour in the ’60s not just for the brownie points of human reasearch but mostly for perfecting ICBM (aka rocket technology). Look at what pinpoint accuracy they are able to place the astronauts when returning, a useful skill if you want to nuke a military facility or a town on the other side of the planet.
This said, this is all technology/know-how more than 50 years old. The name ICBM gives away its weakness, Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile. Ballistic, means it is not guided and even if incoming fast, its trajectory is relatively easy to calculate (the computer industry that was jump-started by Apollo is handy to do that quickly). You will tell but the important novelty is the hypersonic speed and I will respond that’s true but not as you think. ICBM were hypersonic from the beginning (one could even argue that the German V2 rockets were already hypersonic as they arrived at their target at a speed over Mach 5).
When you listen to Poutine or any other serious Russian source, they are talking about middle range, hypersonic guided missile, i.e. manoeuvrable hyperspeed cruise missiles. They are uninterceptable, they don’t need to fly far (an ICBM cannot strike closer to 5000km from its launch site, Astrakhan is just 1000km away from the Ukraine). The rockets that hit Dniepropetrovsk were always inside the atmosphere (ICBM and even V2 go the space before coming down unproppeled). There were several amateur videos of the Dniepro rockets filmed in Astrakhan and it showed a very high temeprature head (plasma temperature completely white) and it let a very uncommon gigantic long persisting contrail.
Ok sorry, for my long unstructured rant. I hope you manage to extract some ideas from this mess. 🙂
Not a mess gallier2. Interesting.
I did see the ICBM’s were old tech.
And not maneuverable like this one is.
” There were several amateur videos of the Dniepro rockets filmed in Astrakhan and it showed a very high temeprature head (plasma temperature completely white) and it let a very uncommon gigantic long persisting contrail.”
Saw the videos of the take off and they were spooky. Frightening. The white suggests high heat, I’m assuming. And today France okays the use of scalp missiles?
But it’s being claimed, as I have read, they are only for “defense”
What does that mean- because the US provides Israel defense weapons all the time- yet they seem to be used for attacking, as offensive weapons
but than, I think those labels are largely intended to deceive.