Russia launched a new medium-range non-nuclear ballistic missile over Ukraine’s Dnipro region on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised statement, marking another significant escalation in the 1,000-day-old war.

According to US and Western officials, the ballistic missile was carrying multiple warheads, which could be the first time such a weapon has been used in war.

At least three people were injured in the attack, the head of Dnieper’s military administration said earlier. A number of buildings were also damaged.

Here’s what we know.

What does Russia say?

Russian President Vladimir Putin said a Russian strike in Ukraine was carried out by a new non-nuclear ballistic missile that has a medium range.

“In response to the use of American and British long-range weapons, on November 21 this year, the Russian armed forces launched a combined strike on one of the Ukrainian defense industry facilities,” Putin said in a televised statement on Thursday.

“In combat conditions, one of the newest Russian medium-range missile systems was also tested,” Putin said, apparently referring to the Dnipro strike. “In this case, with a ballistic missile in non-nuclear hypersonic gear. Our missiles called him “Oreshnik”. The tests were successful. The launch goal has been achieved.”

This comes after a US official told CNN on Thursday that Russia used an “experimental medium-range” ballistic missile in an attack on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.

An intermediate-range missile can travel between 1,000 kilometers and 3,000 kilometers (620 miles to 1,860 miles), according to the Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation.

Putin also said that Moscow considers itself entitled to use weapons against military targets belonging to countries that allow their weapons to be used against Russia. He said Ukrainian armed forces attacked targets in Russia’s Bryansk region on Tuesday with six US-made ATACMS missiles and later fired British/French Storm Shadow systems over the Kursk region.

“Since that moment, as I have repeatedly emphasized earlier, the conflict provoked at the regional level in Ukraine acquired elements of a global nature,” Putin said, adding that “the use of such weapons without the direct involvement of the military specialists of the countries who produce these weapons. it’s impossible.”

“We consider ourselves entitled to use our weapons against the military objects of those countries that allow their weapons to be used against our objects, and in the event of an escalation of aggressive actions, we will respond equally decisively and in kind,” he said. added.

What does Ukraine say?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia’s use of the new missile was “a clear and severe escalation of the scale and brutality of this war”.

In a post on X on Thursday, Zelensky accused Russia of “a flagrant violation of the UN Charter” and taking a “second step towards escalation” of the conflict, adding that the first step of escalation was the involvement of North Korean troops in war.

The Ukrainian leader also stressed Kiev’s right to strike Russia with long-range weapons “in accordance with international law”, adding that Putin was “testing” Kiev’s partners with his actions and called on world leaders to pressure Moscow.

“The lack of harsh reactions to Russia’s actions sends a message that such behavior is acceptable,” he said. “Russia must be forced into a real peace, which can only be achieved by force.”

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry echoed Zelensky’s comments, stressing Kiev’s right to strike Russia with long-range weapons.

“Ukraine has often used long-range capabilities against targets in its occupied territories, but Putin only began to falter when Russian targets were hit. So Putin knows the difference between real Russian territory and the territory he’s trying to steal from Ukraine,” Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi said in a Thursday post on “X.”

Ukraine’s air force previously accused Russia of launching an intercontinental ballistic missile at Dnipro at around 5 a.m. local time from Russia’s southern Astrakhan region, without giving further details. However, two Western officials disputed Ukraine’s assessment, saying that while the missile fired by Russia was likely a ballistic missile, it was not an ICBM.

The Ukrainian military also said an X-47M2 Kinzhal ballistic missile was launched alongside seven cruise missiles in the attack, adding that all but one were shot down. “The other missiles did not cause significant consequences,” the military said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the strike was proof that Putin is “so scared, he’s already using new missiles.”

“Today our crazy neighbor showed once again who he really is and how he despises dignity, freedom and human life in general,” Zelensky said in a video posted on Telegram ahead of Putin’s televised speech.

What is a MIRV?

The missile fired at Dnipro had multiple warheads, according to two US and one Western official, in what may be the first time such a weapon has been used in war.

The weapon, known as the Multiple Independent Targeting Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV), carries an array of warheads that can each target a specific location, allowing a ballistic missile to launch a larger strike.

MIRVs were developed during the Cold War to enable the delivery of multiple nuclear warheads with a single launch. The Minuteman III, which is the US intercontinental ballistic missile, is armed with MIRVs. The Russian missile attack on Dnipro was not armed with nuclear warheads, but used a weapon designed for nuclear delivery to launch conventional weapons instead.

Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said this was the first use of the experimental intermediate-range ballistic missile “based on” the Russian RS-26 Rubezh missile model, although Singh declined to identify the specific type of missile or its capabilities this one.

Tom Karako, director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), says this is probably the first time a MIRV has been used in combat.

In the past, MIRVS were “exclusively for nuclear warheads, and everything that’s more tactical is either single or cluster munitions,” Karako told CNN.

Using this type of missile armed with conventional warheads is an escalation of Russia’s nuclear saber rattling, Karako said, which includes the recent update of its nuclear doctrine.

“This is a large missile with payload capacity — probably MIRVs — and has the baggage of nuclear delivery vehicles associated with it,” he said.

Hans Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Intelligence Project at the Federation of American Scientists, said the launch was significant. “To my knowledge, yes, this is the first time MIRV has been used in combat,” Kristensen said.

The United Nations Secretary-General’s spokesman warned on Thursday that Russia’s use of a new medium-range ballistic missile was “another worrisome and worrying development”.

“This is all going in the wrong direction. What we want to see is for all parties to take urgent steps to de-escalate the situation,” Stephane Dujarric told a regular briefing on Thursday, adding that “what we want to see is an end to this conflict in accordance with the General Assembly. resolutions, international law and territorial integrity.”

Why is this significant?

Putin’s announcement comes in a tense week in the conflict that is now more than 1,000 days old.

This week, both US and British/French missiles were fired into Russia by Ukraine after US President Joe Biden gave Ukraine permission to use longer-range US missiles across the border.

On Tuesday, the Russian Defense Ministry and two US officials said Ukraine had fired the US-made weaponry. ATACMS in Russia for the first time.

The Russian Defense Ministry also said its air defenses shot down two British/French-made Storm Shadow missiles, acknowledging Ukraine’s use of longer-range weapons.

In turn, Putin updated Russia’s nuclear doctrineThe Kremlin saying the revised military doctrine would, in theory, lower the bar for the first use of nuclear weapons.

How does Ukraine defend itself?

Ukraine uses a Patriot missile defense system provided by the US and Germany to intercept incoming ballistic missile warheads, according to the Missile Threat Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The Patriot system is designed to engage incoming warheads, either with an exploding warhead of its own or with kinetic interceptors – so-called hit-to-kill technology, which destroys the incoming warhead by hitting it directly.

Patriot interceptors have a vertical range of about 20 kilometers (12 miles) and defend an area of ​​about 15 to 20 kilometers around the battery, according to the Congressional Research Service.

But Ukraine has only a limited number of Patriots and batteries. Some cities, such as the capital Kiev, enjoy greater protection than others.

Why was Dnipro targeted?

The Dnipropetrovsk region has been a frequent target of Russian bombing in recent months.

It adjoins the partially occupied ones Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions and has become a hub for people who have fled areas now under Russian control.

The region is now home to more than 400,000 internally displaced people. Dnipro, the fourth largest city in Ukraine, is a important center of life in the eastern part of the country.

It is relatively close to the front lines, but still fairly well protected by air defenses. This, plus its transport infrastructure links with the rest of the country, make the city a key hub in Ukraine’s war effort.

How much damage did the attack cause?

The head of Ukraine’s military administration in Dnipropetrovsk said Russia was “massively attacking” the region Thursday morning.

Three people were injured after houses were damaged, and a rehabilitation center for people with disabilities was also affected by the attack, Serhiy Lysak said on Telegram.

There were two fires in Dnipro and “damage to an industrial enterprise,” he added.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story gave the incorrect name for the Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation.

CNN’s Mariya Knight, Caitlin Hu, Zahra Ullah, Tara John, Brad Lendon, Christian Edwards, Anna Chernova, Haley Britzky, Ivana Kottasová, Jerome Taylor, Kosta Gak, Antoinette Radford and Lauren Kent contributed to this report.

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