Moscow threatens to attack POLAND: Kremlin warns it can strike US base using 'advanced weapons' as NATO scrambles jets and Putin unleashes 'ICBM' in Ukraine for first time after Storm Shadow strike
- Ukraine's air force reported an ICBM had been fired from southern Russian base
- It is the first time Ukraine has been hit with an ICBM since war broke out in 2022
Russia this morning threatened to strike US air bases in Poland with 'advanced weapons' hours after it reportedly launched an advanced missile as part of a brutal barrage of targets across Ukraine.
Moscow said the opening of a new US ballistic missile defence base in Redzikowo near the Baltic coast will 'increase the overall level of nuclear danger', adding it had been added to a list of possible targets for Russia.
The facility, opened on November 13, forms part of a broader NATO missile shield called 'Aegis Ashore' designed to intercept short- and intermediate-range ballistic weapons.
'This is another frankly provocative step in a series of deeply destabilising actions by the Americans and their allies,' Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said of the airbase's unveiling.
'(The base) has been added to the list of priority targets for potential destruction which, if necessary, can be executed with a wide range of advanced weapons,' she concluded.
Her statement came minutes after Ukraine's air force reported that a suspected ICBM had been fired from a base in Russia's southern Astrakhan region on the Caspian Sea early this morning.
Russian authorities have not yet confirmed the launch, but if true it would be the first time such a powerful missile has been deployed in the war.
Some analysts expressed incredulity over reports of a fully-fledged ICBM being deployed, arguing that the reported range of the strike - roughly 700km or 454 miles - fell short of what would typically be expected of an intercontinental missile.
The alleged strike comes after Ukraine used US ATACMS and British Storm Shadow missiles to demolish targets inside Russia following approval by Sir Keir Starmer this week - something Moscow had warned for months would be seen as a major escalation.
Russia this morning allegedly fired an intercontinental ballistic missile as part of a brutal barrage of targets in Ukraine
The RS-26 or Frontier missiles weigh up to 50 tonnes and have a 3,600 mile-range, although they have never been used in combat
The Storm Shadow missiles struck a building with an underground 'control room' where Russian and North Korean military officials are believed to be holed up
Russian President Vladimir Putin, listens to a report by First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, during a one-on-one meeting at the Kremlin, November 20, 2024
Ukraine's air force did not specify the missile that had been fired, but its launch comes mere hours after a Russian military analyst said Moscow's forces could unleash its fearsome RS-26 'Frontier' missile in retaliation for the Storm Shadow strikes.
The Frontier missile is a nuclear-capable weapon weighing roughly 36 tonnes with a range of up to 3,600 miles.
It has never before been used in combat, but analysts said it could be deployed with a conventional warhead in a strike that Ukraine's air defences would be powerless to intercept.
Ukrainska Pravda, a Kyiv-based media outlet, cited anonymous sources saying the missile was indeed an RS-26 'Frontier', a solid-fuelled ICBM that was first successfully tested in 2012.
Murky security camera footage out of the central-eastern city of Dnipro showed the moment warheads rained down over Yuzhmash, a prominent Ukrainian state-owned aerospace and defence manufacturer.
Experts said the use of an ICBM or similarly advanced long-range weapon to deliver conventional explosives was very costly, but that it served to illustrate how Moscow could dramatically escalate the conflict.
Dr Ruth Deyermond, Senior Lecturer in Post-Soviet Security at King's College London, told MailOnline: 'This strike has no obvious military value - they could achieve the same objectives without sacrificing an ICBM. It looks very much as if it's signalling to the West what Russia could do if it chose to - launch a nuclear-armed missile.
'But it's actually a sign of weakness,' she added. 'The Russian government knows what would happen to it if they did attempt to use any kind of nuclear weapon, so they have to resort to bluffing.'
Dr Mattias Eken, a defence and security analyst at RAND Europe, expressed doubt the missile was in fact a fully fledged ICBM.
'The reported range of 700km falls short of the typical intercontinental range, casting doubt on its classification as a full-fledged ICBM.
'If the missile was indeed an ICBM, Russia would have been required to provide advance notification to the US to prevent triggering missile warning systems and possible retaliatory actions.'
The Russian attack this morning targeted enterprises and critical infrastructure, Ukraine's air force said, at a time of escalating moves in the 33-month-old war.
The Kremlin deployed Tu-95MS strategic bombers to launch cruise missiles and MiG-31K fighters to fire hypersonic Kinzhal rockets in a calculated bid to plunge Ukraine into darkness as a bitter winter approaches.
Some Russian missiles reportedly struck the towns of Kremenchuk and Myrhorod, while areas in Kyiv, Odesa and Sumy regions suffered blackouts as the electrical grid gave out.
NATO scrambled F-16 warplanes over neighbouring Poland and ground-based air defence and radar systems were put on the 'highest state of readiness' amid the attack, while Ukraine's air force reported air defences shot down six Kh-101 cruise missiles.
The wide-ranging attacks by Russia this morning come on Ukraine's annual Day of Dignity and Freedom
Poland scrambled NATO F-16 aircraft this morning for air defence patrols amid the attack on Ukraine
The Aegis Ashore Poland missile defence system on the occasion of an official ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Naval Support Facility in Redzikowo, Poland in November 13, 2024
Poland's President Andrzej Duda speaks standing in front of the deck house of the Aegis Ashore missile defence system is seenin Redzikowo, northern Poland in November 13, 2024
Responding to Zakharova's statements on the opening of the Redzikowo air defence base, a Polish foreign ministry spokesman pointed out there were no nuclear missiles at the facility and that it is purely defensive in nature.
'Such threats will certainly serve as an argument to strengthen Poland's and NATO's air defences, and should also be considered by the United States,' added the spokesman, Pawel Wronski.
NATO's Aegis Ashore air defence system constitutes a network of bases that use radar tracking systems from the US Navy's Aegis warships to identify and shoot down oncoming ballistic missiles with American SM-3 rockets.
There are currently two sites online, one in Romania and one in Poland, reinforced by an early warning system based in Turkey and US Navy ships in Spain.
The wide-ranging attacks by Russia this morning come on Ukraine's annual Day of Dignity and Freedom, honouring the beginning of its struggle for independence and liberty.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an address today: 'We remember the real price of freedom for Ukraine.
'And we do not forget all our people of different times who fought for Ukraine and became a model of dignity for the world.
'Thanks to people, thanks to the desire of our people to preserve freedom and independence for Ukraine, our state will always be on the political map of the world. Always free and sovereign.'
This morning's bombardment of Ukraine also comes less than 24 hours after Kyiv launched UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles at targets in Kursk.
Fragments of the missiles that struck a military facility in the Russian town of Marino were recovered by military bloggers on Wednesday afternoon, with unverified pictures shared widely on social media.
The Mail understands the attacks, which followed Ukraine firing US-supplied ATACMS missiles on Tuesday, were personally approved by Sir Keir Starmer.
Russia this morning officially acknowledged the strikes, saying its air defences shot down two of the projectiles along with six HIMARS rockets and 67 drones.
One image shows a written indentation on a chunk of metal reading: 'Storm Shadow'
Britain's Storm Shadow missiles are capable of dodging air defences - making them a nightmare attack weapon for their enemy
ATACMS - Army Tactical Missile - being fired from an M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System
According to Moskovsky Komsomolets, a Moscow-based newspaper, a Russian military expert had openly talked about retaliation for the Storm Shadow strike with an ICBM.
Timur Syrlanov, a Russian military analyst, said Ukraine should be 'trembling' over the use of the RS-26 'Frontier' rocket.
'In this situation, we will not use nuclear weapons, but the neo-Nazis and their Western allies, I think, will appreciate in the coming days the blow that will be dealt to Ukraine's critical infrastructure and, possibly, to targets in Kyiv itself,' he said.
'Let them tremble, be afraid, and wait for landings anywhere. Moreover, the enemy understands perfectly well that our weapons can reach any targets throughout Ukraine.'
The RS-26 is estimated to be 12 metres (40 ft) long and can carry an 800kg (1,765-pound) nuclear warhead - though Kyiv confirmed that only conventional munitions were used in this morning's strike.Putin on Tuesday signed off changes to the country's laws on nuclear weapons to make it easier for them to be deployed against Ukraine.
And his foreign minister Sergei Lavrov chillingly warned that the strikes by Ukraine were a clear signal that Kyiv 'wanted to escalate' and that Russia would 'react accordingly'.
The terrifying sabre rattling was confirmed by the Russian President's close ally Dmitry Medvedev. Posting on X, the Deputy Chair of Russia's security council said it meant 'World War III'.
It came after Kyiv launched six 'ATACMS' rockets from an undisclosed location over the border into Russian territory on Tuesday.
The strikes triggered a fiery explosion at a depot in Karachev, believed to be storing ammunition supplied by North Korea, around 75miles from the Ukrainian border.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with New People party's leader Alexey Nechaev in Moscow on November 19
Images being shared on social media show what appear to be fragments of a British Storm Shadow missile in Marino, Kursk
Residents in the village of Marino, Kursk, found fragments from a Storm Shadow missile
As tensions escalate in the Russia-Ukraine war, the UK's Defence Secretary announced the British military would be hit by £500 million worth of cuts.
John Healy said the Labour Government would scrap six major programmes across the Armed Forces, including the Army's main fleet of drones and two amphibious assault ships – HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark.
The plans have been criticised by former defence secretary Ben Wallace who argued they would send a message of weakness to the UK's adversaries.
Writing in The Telegraph, he said: 'For our enemies to be deterred they must know we intend to have no holes in our capabilities, or at least we will soon be upgrading them.
'To tell the world we are scaling back our capabilities when our enemies are doing the opposite is pure folly.
'No one is fooled by the tired and misleading excuse by Labour that ''we have to wait for a defence review'' – yet another one.'
Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during a press conference on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on November 19
Vladimir Putin 's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov (pictured) chillingly warned that Moscow would 'react accordingly' as he described the strike as a signal Kyiv 'wanted to escalate'
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky attends a joint press conference with Denmark's prime minister at the presidential palace in Kyiv, on November 19
In videos recorded in the village of Marino in Russia's Kursk region yesterday, multiple explosions were heard preceded by high-pitched whistling apparently from incoming missiles. The footage also showed smoke rising from buildings.
Unconfirmed reports suggested Ukraine had targeted an underground command and control facility 50 miles inside Russia with Storm Shadow missiles.
The navigational data and satellite intelligence which facilitated the air strikes was understood to have been provided by the US.
The strikes, which have not been confirmed by the British Government, follow the use of UK Storm Shadows to eliminate Russian military infrastructure in Crimea.
The significant difference is that while the UK regards occupied Crimea as Ukrainian sovereign territory, Kursk is recognised by Britain as belonging to Russia.
It is understood that the last time British weapons were used on Russian sovereign territory was during clashes between an Allied force and the Bolsheviks in the Arctic Archangel region in 1918-19.
Before that it was during the Crimean War in the 1850s.
Speaking in the Commons, Mr Healey declined to confirm the reports or divulge any operational details.
He told MPs: 'We have seen over recent weeks a significant change in the [Russian] action and the rhetoric on Ukraine.
'We as a nation and a Government are doubling down on our support for Ukraine and intend to do more.'
