The Ukrainian military has accused Russia of using an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in an attack on Thursday morning, marking Moscow's first use of this powerful long-range weapon in the ongoing conflict that has spanned over 1,000 days.
This development comes amidst significant policy shifts from both Russia and Ukraine, as well as their Western allies. US President Joe Biden recently authorized Ukraine to launch longer-range American missiles, specifically the ATACMS, targeting deep inside Russia.
Russian authorities reacted strongly to the breach of this longstanding norm. President Vladimir Putin updated Russia's nuclear doctrine on Tuesday, stating that Moscow would now view aggression from any non-nuclear state, in collaboration with a nuclear country, as a joint attack on Russia.
Following the authorization, Ukraine swiftly exercised its new capabilities. Reports emerged on Tuesday that Ukraine had fired ATACMS missiles into Russia for the first time, as confirmed by both Russia's Defense Ministry and two US officials.
In another unprecedented move, Ukraine reportedly deployed the British-French-made Storm Shadow missile to strike targets within Russia on Wednesday.
