Moscow:

Russia has fired an Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile or ICBM at Ukraine a day after Vladimir Putin changed Moscow’s nuclear doctrine. The firing of the ICBM with a conventional (non-nuclear) warhead is a stern warning to Ukraine and its Western allies that Moscow’s red lines must be respected.

Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles, popularly referred as ICBMs are traditionally designed to carry a nuclear warhead, however it may also be used for conventional warheads. The concept, technology, design, and research behind ICBMs were to cater to a country’s response in a nuclear event.

Moscow’s strong response comes days after US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer allowed Ukraine to use western long-range cruise and ballistic missiles to target deep within Russian territory. Within hours of those approvals from Washington and London, Kyiv fired a US-made ATACMS missile and a UK-made ‘Storm Shadow’ missile targeting Russian territories.

This is the first time Moscow has fired an ICBM, said Kyiv, as both sides saw major escalations in the war that marked its 1,000th day on Wednesday.

The Ukrainian Air Force released a statement today in which it said that Russian forces had launched various types of missiles at the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro this morning. The aim, they said, was to cripple Ukrainian infrastructure.

The statement went on to say that “In particular, an intercontinental ballistic missile was launched from the Astrakhan region of the Russian Federation.” According to a news report by AFP, a source in the Ukrainian Air Force has confirmed that it was the first time since the beginning of the war in Ukraine that an ICBM was fired.

When questioned about the ICBM launch, Moscow evaded the question. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said he had “nothing to say on this topic.”
 

In a clear message to the West and Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday signed a decree broadening the scope of Moscow using nuclear weapons on a non-nuclear state if it is supported by nuclear powers.

This decision comes on the 1,000th day of Russia invading Ukraine, after Joe Biden gave Ukraine permission to use its long-range missiles to strike deeper in Russian territory.

The Biden administration had made a significant policy change, allowing Ukraine to use US-made ATACMS missiles to strike targets inside Russia for the first time.

This decision came just two months before President Joe Biden hands over power to Donald Trump, who has expressed scepticism about US military aid to Ukraine.

The Kremlin vowed on Tuesday to defeat Ukraine, saying Western support for Kyiv would have no impact on the conflict and that western aid “cannot affect the outcome of our operation. It continues, and will be completed.”

“The military operation against Kyiv continues,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

He also said that aggression by a non-nuclear state with the participation of a nuclear state is considered as a joint attack referring to Ukraine and its Western backers. 

Peskov added that, Russia “has always viewed nuclear weapons as a means of deterrence,” and that they would only be deployed if Russia feels “forced” to.

NATO chief has said that Putin must not ‘get his way’ in Ukraine. However only a month back, he had said that he does not see an imminent danger of nuclear weapons from Russia despite “reckless and irresponsible” from the country.

The nuclear doctrine will also be extended to Russia’s close ally Belarus.

This reflects Putin’s swiftness to force the West to back down while Russia continues its slow moving offence in Ukraine. 

According to a Bloomberg report, Ukrainian armed forces carried out their first strike in a border region within Russian territory with a ATACMS missile, RBC Ukraine reports, citing an official in the nation’s military.

The war between Russia and Ukraine, the deadliest conflict Europe has seen since the World War II, marks its 1,000th day today. Over one million people have reportedly either died or have been grievously injured since the beginning of the war.

Amid the grim reality of the deadliest war of the 21st Century, cities, towns, and villages in Ukraine have been devastated and now lie in ruin. The loss of human life and material wealth keep mounting in a never-ending series of heartbreaking stories emerging from the war-torn country.

Both Russia and Ukraine have diminishing populations and have been struggling from even before the war. The staggering death count due to the war will thereby have far-reaching demographic implications for both nations.

Moscow:

A group of five nuclear weapons states will hold a meeting in New York in the next two weeks, Russian state media quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying on Thursday.

The group brings together Russia, the United States, China, France and Britain, all of which are nuclear-armed states and permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.

Ryabkov did not announce a specific date or say what level of officials would attend.

The meeting is potentially significant because of a significant escalation in nuclear tensions between Russia and the West since the start of the Ukraine war.

President Vladimir Putin last month announced changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine, saying Moscow was extending the list of scenarios that could prompt it to consider firing a nuclear weapon.

In January 2022, weeks before Putin sent his army into Ukraine, the “nuclear five” issued a joint statement saying they considered the avoidance of war between nuclear powers and the reduction of strategic risks to be their foremost priorities.

“We affirm that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought,” they said at the time.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Moscow:

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for an urgent meeting of Moscow’s top security council to discuss its nuclear deterrence. The move comes amid rising concerns in Russia over Ukraine being allowed by Western powers to use cruise missiles to target locations deep inside Russia.

Last week the UK reportedly cleared the use of its ‘Storm Shadow’ cruise missile to be used to bomb Russia. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer even flew to Washington DC to meet US President Joe Biden. The two leaders reportedly discussed Ukraine’s use of weapons on Russian soil.

The Russian intelligence had information about such a possibility and had said earlier this month that “It has become necessary for Moscow to revise its nuclear doctrine because of the West’s escalation of the war in Ukraine.”

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Mr Putin will meet the most powerful officials in his administration to discuss the war strategy going forward. “There will be a speech by the President,” Mr Peskov said, adding that “The rest, for obvious reasons, will be marked ‘top secret’.”

Speaking about the reports that the United States and United Kingdom are about to give clearance to Ukraine for Kyiv to launch cruise missiles on Russian soil, President Putin said this month that, “The West would be directly fighting with Russia if it gave such permission to Ukraine (to bomb Russia)” adding that Moscow would be forced to make “appropriate decisions” in such a scenario.

RUSSIA’S NUCLEAR DOCTRINE & TREATY WITH US

Russia is the world’s largest nuclear power. Together, Russia and the United States control 88% of the world’s nuclear weapons.

Russia’s current nuclear doctrine was set in place by Vladimir Putin four years ago, before the war with Ukraine broke out. According to the current doctrine, Russia may use nuclear weapons in the scenario where it comes under a nuclear attack or if a conventional attack threatens the existence of the state.

President Putin, who is the primary decision maker on Russia’s massive nuclear arsenal, is now planning how to respond if the United States and its European allies allow Ukraine to use Western-supplied missiles to strike deep inside Russia.

The United States and Russia have a nuclear treaty called the US-Russia New START Treaty, which entered into force on February 5, 2011.

Under the treaty, the United States and the Russian Federation had seven years to meet the treaty’s central limits on strategic offensive arms (by February 5, 2018) and are then obligated to maintain those limits for as long as the treaty remains in force.

According to the US State Department, this treaty enhances US national security by placing verifiable limits on all Russian deployed intercontinental-range nuclear weapons. The United States and the Russian Federation have agreed to extend the treaty through February 4, 2026.

According to a Reuters report, the Kremlin said that any discussions about a replacement to the US-Russia New START Treaty, which expires in 2026, would need to take into account European nuclear potential – shorthand for the arsenals of Britain and France.

“We have not yet received a response from the Americans to this, but of course an agreement is needed and negotiations should begin as soon as possible,” Peskov said when asked about a possible replacement for the New START Treaty.

THE STORM SHADOW MISSILE

Ukraine already has the UK-supplied Storm Shadow missile, but uses it only within its territory to combat Russian forces.

So far, there are restriction on Ukraine on the use of advanced western weaponry on targets within the Russian territory, but this is likely to change with clearances reportedly being issued by the UK, with US backing it.

The Storm Shadow is a low-observable, long-range air-launched cruise missile. It is jointly developed by the United Kingdom and France and has a range of around 500 km. It has already been integrated into Ukrainian fighter aircraft, including the Russia-built Su-24 bombers – a legacy of the past, from when Ukraine was part of the erstwhile Soviet Union.

The Storm Shadow missile has a range of around 500 km and can target territories deep inside Russia. (Photo Credit: Posted on X by @TopLeadEU)

Developed in 1994 and manufactured by Matra and British Aerospace, the Storm Shadow missile is now made by MBDA Systems. ‘Storm Shadow’ is the weapon’s British name, while in France it is called the SCALP-EG.

RUSSIAN NUCLEAR WEAPONS STOCKPILE

Should Ukraine use cruise missiles to attack Russian territory, a Russian response to this could be massive. The international worry is that Moscow may seriously consider the use of nuclear weapons in such a scenario.

According to Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation – a nonpartisan non-profit organisation on nuclear weapons disarmament – Russia maintains a stockpile of an estimated 6,372 nuclear warheads – the world’s largest.

Of these, 1,572 of which are deployed on strategic land-based ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and heavy bombers. Approximately 870 more strategic warheads and 1,870 non-strategic warheads are in reserve with an additional estimated 2,060 warheads awaiting dismantlement.