Russia fires intercontinental ballistic missile for first time in Ukraine conflict, says Ukraine
Russia has launched an intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time during the Ukraine war, according to Ukraine's air force. The missile was fired from the Astrakhan region on Thursday, following Ukraine's reported strikes inside Russia using long-range missiles from the US and UK. This escalation comes after Ukraine's use of British Storm Shadow missiles, with wreckage found in Russia's Kursk region. Reports indicate that up to 12 Storm Shadows were deployed, coinciding with claims that American ATACMS missiles were also fired into Russia. In response to these developments, President Putin has lowered the threshold for using nuclear weapons. However, military experts express skepticism about the likelihood of nuclear deployment, noting warnings from China against such actions.