a Russian intercontinental missile launch “would mark a clear escalation”, according to the European Union

Should this be seen as a response after the use of ATACM and Storm Shadow missiles by Ukrainian forces on Russian territory? The Ukrainian armed forces claim that Russia fired an intercontinental ballistic missile on the city of Dnipro on Thursday, November 21, in the Dnipropetrovsk region. kyiv said it was fired from the Astrakhan region near the Caspian Sea, a thousand kilometers from the area. While Russia has not commented on the matter, this is the first time such a missile would be authenticated since the Russian invasion and the start of the conflict in February 2022. “It is obvious that such an attack would mark a new escalation on the part of [Vladimir] Poutine”said Peter Stano, spokesperson for the European Commission, on Thursday. Follow live.

The spokesperson for Russian diplomacy ordered not to comment on the attack. In the middle of a press conference, Maria Zakharova was interrupted by a phone call on Thursday. With his microphone on, the entire room heard the conversation. His interlocutor, whose identity was not specified, expressly asked him not to comment on the firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile in the Dnipropetrovsk region, of which kyiv accused Moscow.

Russia says it intercepted British missiles. The Russian Defense Ministry announced that it had shot down “two British-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles” fired by Ukraine and which targeted its territory, without specifying the place or time of this interception. British media announced on Wednesday that kyiv had used these long-range missiles for the first time after obtaining authorization from London.

Repeated threats on the use of atomic weapons. The Kremlin claimed that Russia would “maximum effort” to prevent a nuclear war after a revision of Russian doctrine which broadens the possibility of using atomic weapons, in the midst of tension between Moscow and the West around the use of long-range missiles.

Mining controversy. The Biden administration, although critical of anti-personnel mines because of their danger to civilians, sought on Wednesday to justify its decision to send such weapons to Ukraine, supposed to help slow the advance of Russian troops in the east of the country. The delivery of antipersonnel mines is part of new US military aid to Ukraine worth some $275 million.