Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed a Russian attack on Thursday that appeared to use a “new” model of missile, stating it appeared to be an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) but Kyiv’s experts had yet to confirm its nature.
The Ukrainian president condemned his “insane neighbor” for what he called an attempt to destroy “normal life” in nations surrounding Russia. Russian strongman Vladimir Putin, Zelensky asserted, “will do anything to keep his neighbor from slipping out of his grasp.”
The Ukrainian government announced in the early hours of Thursday that what appeared to be a Russian ICBM – which could potentially carry a nuclear warhead and hit the United States – struck the city of Dnipro. The weapon used carried a conventional payload and was fired alongside several cruise missiles and other projectiles, according to Kyiv. Notably, Ukraine’s Western allies have not confirmed the potential use of an ICBM at press time. The Russian government has refused to comment; Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, “I have nothing to say on this topic right now.”
The attack occurs amid the larger context of unconfirmed reports that outgoing American President Joe Biden approved Ukraine’s use of long-range American Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles to strike within Russia. Neither the White House nor the Ukrainian government has confirmed the reports, but the Russian government claimed on Tuesday that Kyiv used the ATACMS system to strike within Russia on Tuesday.
“Today, our insane neighbor has once again revealed its true nature—its disdain for dignity, freedom, and human life itself. And, most of all, its fear,” Zelensky said in a video message to the Ukrainian public on Thursday.
“Fear so overwhelming that it unleashes missile after missile, scouring the globe for more weapons—whether from Iran or North Korea,” he stated. “Today, it was a new Russian missile. Its speed and altitude suggest intercontinental ballistic capabilities. Investigations are ongoing.”
Zelensky accused Putin of “using Ukraine as a testing ground” for new military technology and of pursuing the destruction of the “normal life” of Ukrainians and any neighboring countries close to Russia.
Zelensky noted that November 21 is celebrated in Ukraine as the “Day of Dignity and Freedom,” the anniversary of the “Orange Revolution” in 2004, which brought anti-Russian President Viktor Yushchenko to power, and of the 2013 Maidan protests that ended the term of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych. Putin has repeatedly used Yanukovych’s ouster as a justification for invading Ukraine in 2022 and attempting to oust Zelensky despite the current president playing no role in that political saga. Yanukovych was replaced by anti-Russian President Petro Poroshenko, who lost to Zelensky, a professional comedian, in the 2019 presidential election.
The state outlet Ukrinform reported on Thursday that at least two individuals were hurt in the Dnipro suspected ICBM attack.
“Assistance was provided to a 57-year-old man at the scene. A 42-year-old woman was hospitalized,” the head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration Serhiy Lysak announced on social media.
The potential launching of an ICBM by Russia and of ATACMS missiles by Ukraine could prove to be a dramatic escalation in the more than decade-old war between Russia and Ukraine that began with Russia invading and colonizing Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula in 2014, shortly after Yanukovych fled the country. The Russian government, which neither confirmed nor denied the ICBM launch, has complained throughout the week that the Biden administration is making moves that may thwart any diplomacy towards ending the Russian invasion.
“If you look at the trends of the outgoing U.S. administration, they are fully committed to continuing the war in Ukraine and are doing everything they can to do so,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said this week.
In the same exchange with reporters, Peskov appeared to suggest Putin was open to negotiations with President-elect Donald Trump once he takes office, responding to questions about an anonymously sourced report in Reuters that indicated Putin was preparing for such talks.
“The president has repeatedly and consistently stated his readiness for contact and negotiations,” Peskov said in response to the Reuters report about Trump.
Ukraine has similarly indicated that it may be more open to negotiations to end the war following Trump’s victory in the November 5 presidential election.
“No one wants peace as much as we do,” Zelensky said in an interview last week. “The change in the policy of the United States suggests that, in my opinion, the war will be over.”
“A just peace is important for us, so that there is no feeling that we lost the best because of the injustice that was imposed on us,” he continued. “There, I think the war will end. And not abstractly. There is no exact date, but with the policies of the team that will now lead the White House, the war will end sooner.”
Zelensky also appears to have more political space to make moves towards ending the war diplomatically. A poll conducted by Gallup published this week found that over half of Ukrainians, 52 percent, said they want the war to end as quickly as possible. Only 38 percent said they wanted to see the war continue until Ukraine could definitively defeat Russia, down from 73 percent in 2022.
Follow Frances Martel on Facebook and Twitter.