Russia's missile gambit: Fear tactics in Ukraine escalate
The Ukrainian Air Force reports that in the attack on the city of Dnipro in central Ukraine, Russia used several types of missiles, including an as-yet unidentified intercontinental ballistic missile. This may confirm fears expressed the previous day by Ukrainian commentators that Russia, in retaliation for the ATACMS missile attacks, will use a new type of weapon.
“This attack was not a surprise for Ukraine. Russia is taking action calculated to instil fear in Europe. On Wednesday evening, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated this was exactly what was expected. Importantly, he emphasized that all panic reactions from the West play into Russia's hands", says in conversation with Wirtualna Polska Dr. Wojciech Siegień, an expert in analyzing Russian propaganda and author of the podcast "Eastern Block" on the Critical Politics service.
“What does this change? For Ukraine, it is another day of war, one of many attacks with similar effects. Russia wants the West, readers of Polish and European media, to open their eyes in fear when reading about intercontinental missiles", adds Siegień.
Importantly, at this moment, there is no way to confirm whether Russia actually used an ICBM—an intercontinental ballistic missile. It would be the first use since the onset of the full-scale invasion, but the reports are primarily based on Ukrainian sources.
It is known that the Russian missile was launched from the Astrakhan region in the Russian Federation and, after traveling approximately 1,200 kilometres, hit the city of Dnipro, located in central-eastern Ukraine.
According to the local news service Dnipro Operatywnyj, during the attack, at least 15 people were injured, a local production facility was destroyed, and several homes caught fire. Several Kindzal missiles used by Russia were shot down, reports the Ukrainian service, which published photos of the missile debris.
"The missile that hit Dnipro can carry up to 1,500 kilograms of explosives, and its range is 6,000 kilometres. It is capable of carrying nuclear warheads", explained Yuriy Kostenko, former Minister of Nuclear Safety of Ukraine, to Ukrainian journalists.
Gen. Roman Polko: Russia is playing with fear, but we cannot yield
“Russia and its propagandists are very heavily engaged in using fear to force Western societies to accept talks about capitulation or even the division of Ukraine. That's why Russians decided to use something new from their arsenal. They possess a whole range of weapon types considered imprecise but with significant power,” comments Polish Gen. Roman Polko, former commander of the GROM unit, in a Wirtualna Polska's interview.
In his opinion, Thursday's attack was an expected response to Ukraine's successful attacks using Western ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles.
“The paradox of this war is that Russia is breaking all boundaries—destroying cities, murdering civilians—while Western allies are very sensitive to the potential Russian response. We cannot bend to Putin, who is bluffing and playing with fear. Support for Ukraine should include providing military assistance. The West has every trump card, including technical superiority”, emphasizes Gen. Polko.
After Russia's attack, Canadian Defence Minister Bill Blair announced the provision of a medium-range NASAMS air defence missile system to Ukraine. ‘We worked closely with the Americans and Raytheon, the manufacturer, to assemble and deliver this system,’ he told reporters in Ottawa, as quoted by Ukrinform. According to the minister, the air defence system is currently situated in Poland and will soon be transported across the border.
The attack was anticipated. Russia launched an intercontinental ballistic missile
The day before (November 20), several Ukrainian Telegram channels warned that Russia intends to launch an RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile towards Kyiv. This was reported by the Strategic Monitoring service, whose authors specialize in monitoring radio frequencies and Russian strategic and military transport aircraft.
The U.S. and several EU countries' embassies were shut down. The reason was warnings about an impending ballistic missile attack prepared by the Russian Federation.
Previously, Russian President Vladimir Putin approved an updated Russian nuclear doctrine. This occurred following reports that the United States allowed Ukraine to use American ATACMS missiles to strike deep into Russia.
Putin announced changes in the doctrine as early as September 25, 2024. By publicizing the latest strategic change, Russia aimed to alarm Western countries that might be supplying Ukraine with more long-range weapons.
