[UPDATES] As of noon, the Ukrainska Pravda media outlet, citing its sources in the Air Force, reported that the RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental strategic ballistic missile struck Dnipro overnight.
Russia launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at Ukraine early morning on Thursday, Nov. 21, marking a significant escalation in its ongoing assault on the country.
The Air Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed the attack, which also included various other missile types targeting critical infrastructure.
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“Between 5:00 and 7:00 a.m. on Nov. 21, Russian troops attacked the city of Dnipro, hitting enterprises and critical infrastructure,” the Air Force stated.
“The assault included an ICBM launched from Russia’s Astrakhan region, a Kh-47M2 Kinzhal aeroballistic missile fired from a MiG-31K jet in the Tambov region, and seven Kh-101 cruise missiles launched by Tu-95MS bombers near the Volgograd region.”
The Russian missile barrage on the industrial city that left two people wounded is the latest escalation since Ukraine fired Western-supplied long-range missiles on Russia.
An intercontinental ballistic missile has a minimum range of five thousand kilometers, but some of them can cover a distance of more than nine thousand kilometers.
As of 10:30 a.m., no expert analysis has confirmed the accuracy of the information, so the details remain unverified by the Kyiv Post. If this information is confirmed, it would be the first time such a weapon had been used since Russia invaded in February 2022.
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Multiple videos showing the alleged ICBM strike on Dnipro have appeared on Ukrainian and Russian Telegram channels.
One footage clearly shows how the missile splits into six warheads, with each of these warheads then splitting into six more, resulting in at least 36 submunitions.
The attack triggered air alerts across the entire country at 5:05 a.m. Explosions were reported in Dnipro around 7:15 a.m., where, according to the local authorities, an industrial facility and critical infrastructure sustained heavy damage, and fires broke out.
Emergency power outages were implemented across Kyiv, Dnipro, Odesa, Sumy, Zhytomyr, and Donetsk regions to stabilize the energy grid amid the attacks. Officials continue to work on assessing and repairing the damage as winter looms.
Seven cruise missiles, fired from Tu-95MS bombers following the ICBM strike, entered Ukrainian airspace from the north, traveling through Chernihiv before heading toward central and southeastern Ukraine. According to Ukraine’s Air Force, six out of seven cruise missiles were intercepted.
Explosions and air alerts were reported in Poltava, Kremenchuk, and Zaporizhzhia. By mid-morning, air raid sirens were lifted in western regions.
One day before the attack, reports circulated on Ukrainian social media that Russia had been planning a large-scale missile strike in the "following 24 hours". The strike was expected to involve RS-26 Rubezh, a new ballistic missile ranging up to 6,000 kilometres (3,728 miles).
However, at least some reports were dismissed as "Russian disinformation."
The US Embassy in Kyiv warned American citizens on Nov. 20 about a potential missile strike expected to take place on the same day.
This warning followed heightened tensions after Ukraine reportedly used US-supplied ATACMS long-range missiles against an ammunition depot in Russia’s Bryansk region.
The attack came days after Washington authorized Kyiv to use these weapons in response to escalating Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy – 120 missiles and 90 drones on Sunday – and the arrival of North Korean troops in Russia.
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