Russia launched a volley of missiles to the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro early Thursday morning, including a new type of ballistic missile that is worrying members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
The powerful, next-level multiple-warhead battlefield weapon, which has been analyzed by the Pentagon, prompted NATO to hold an emergency summit on Tuesday. Among the cruise missiles intercepted during the assault was what the Defense Department identified as a variant of the RS-26, an “experimental” intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), a reconfigured Russian intercontinental ballistic missile, according to an American official.
The missile targeting Dnipro in central Ukraine focused on one area, carrying six warheads about 750 miles from the launch site, in retaliation for the Ukrainian attack earlier in the week on a military installation in Russia. Ukraine prepares for more volleys.
Although U.S. officials say publicly that Russia likely has only a handful of these experimental missiles, sources say these ballistic missiles pose a unique threat. They are capable of reaching 3,000 miles and carrying a multiple payload system. These systems are designed to transport and launch multiple warheads and drop them at different speeds and in different directions, potentially over an area of more than 1,000 miles. They are also capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Further reinforcing U.S. and NATO concerns, this is the first time such a system has been used, and much remains unknown about its use.
“What if he decides to target Lviv next,” a U.S. official said, referring to a town in western Ukraine near the border with Poland.
The systems’ capabilities challenge even Ukraine’s most advanced air defense systems, as the war-weary nation attempts to defend itself against Russia more than 2.5 years after the arrival of Russian President Vladimir Putin. invaded Ukraine.
Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said Russian officials notified the United States of the launch through nuclear risk reduction channels. This ensured that it was not misidentified as an intercontinental ballistic missile and therefore a possible nuclear threat.
While Russia already has enough weapons in its arsenal to strike its NATO partners, Poland is particularly disturbed by these new developments. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said there was a “serious and real” threat of world war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the situation a “clear and serious escalation” by Russia. Zelensky accused Putin of using Ukraine as a “testing ground.”
President Biden’s recent speech decision Allowing Ukraine to fire U.S.-made and supplied missiles deeper into Russia, a major policy shift, has drawn furious reactions from Moscow.
Charlie D’Agata
