The Russian Federation has struck Ukraine with a long range missile, reported Associated Press (AP) on Thursday.The attack was in response to Kyiv’s use this week of American and British cruise missiles that struck Russia. In a televised broadcast, President Vladimir Putin warned that U.S. air defence systems won't stop the “Oreshnik” hypersonic missile that travels at 10 times the speed of sound. “We believe that we have the right to use our weapons against military facilities of the countries that allow to use their weapons against our facilities,” Putin said..Putin also said the weapon could be used to attack any Ukrainian ally whose missiles are used to attack Russia. He has also threatened nuclear retaliation.The attack marks the first known use of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in the Ukraine war. The missile attack was launched from Russia's Astrakhan region, demonstrating the advanced capabilities of Oreshnik, said online reports.Putin's broadcast followed an announcement that Russia revised its nuclear doctrine, lowering the threshold for nuclear weapons use. The ICBM strike is said to have damaged industrial facilities in Dnipro, Ukraine."Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh confirmed that Russia’s missile was a new, experimental type of intermediate range missile based on it’s RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile," reported AP.
