ICBM was ‘NEW type of weapon’, Zelensky warns as Russia calls UK ‘participant in war’ & Starmer blasts ‘reckless’ Putin

RUSSIA utilized a terrifying caller benignant of limb successful its suspected intercontinental ballistic rocket onslaught against Ukraine, Ukrainian president Zelensky has warned.

Zelensky told his war-embattled federation that despot Vladimir Putin is utilizing Ukraine arsenic a "testing ground" for caller weapons.

Kyiv Air Force said contiguous that Russia had launched an ICBM astatine the metropolis of Dnipro successful the aboriginal hours of the morning.

If firmed up, it marks the archetypal clip the nuclear-capable rocket has ever been utilized arsenic portion of an ongoing conflict.

Unverified footage appeared to amusement warheads from the ferocious R-26 Rubezh raining down connected Dnipro overnight, lighting up the entity with explosions.

Zelensky, speaking from his bureau contiguous successful a video posted online, said the onslaught had "all the characteristics... speed, altitude... of an intercontinental ballistic missile".

He added: "It is evident that Putin is utilizing Ukraine arsenic a investigating ground.

"Expert examinations are underway. It is evident that Putin is utilizing Ukraine arsenic a investigating ground."

And UK PM Keir Starmer blasted depot Putin for his "reckless and escalatory behaviour" aft the suspected ICBM strike.

He warned that specified a determination would instrumentality the warfare to different level, calling claims of their usage "deeply concerning".

Starmer's authoritative spokesperson said: "If true, clearly, this would beryllium different illustration of depraved, reckless and escalatory behaviour from Russia."

ICBMs are designed to transportation atomic warheads and person a minimum scope of 5,500 kilometres, oregon 3,400 miles.

The precocious exertion is expensive, and perchance utilized to nonstop a connection of intimidation aft Kyiv fired a slew of long-range Western missiles astatine Russia this week.

Sources and experts told AFP it was "obvious" the rocket that struck Ukraine did not transportation a atomic charge, bolstering arguments that it was launched for a symbolic, governmental effect.

Zelensky accused Putin of doing "anything to forestall his neighbour from escaping his grasp" arsenic the warfare rapidly approaches its 3rd twelvemonth mark.

"Today, our brainsick neighbour has erstwhile again shown who helium truly is and however helium despises dignity, state and quality beingness successful general. And however acrophobic helium is," the leader premier said.

The Ukrainian aerial unit released a connection astir the onslaught connected Dnipro - saying Russia had utilized a assortment of missiles including immoderate cruise rockets dropped by combatant jets.

"In particular, an intercontinental ballistic rocket was launched from the Astrakhan portion of the Russian Federation," they said.

Putin's Kremlin refused to corroborate whether oregon not it launched an ICBM, alternatively claiming to beryllium doing everything imaginable to halt atomic escalation.

Asked whether Moscow fired the missile, which tin deed targets thousands of kilometres away, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said helium had "nothing to accidental connected this topic".

The overnight blitz was Russia's revenge for Ukraine's palmy double-tap strikes this week - utilizing Western long-range missiles.

Kyiv launched US ATACMS missiles against Putin's territory overnight connected Monday - and British Storm Shadow rockets connected Wednesday.

Russia threatened to "react accordingly" as embassies successful superior metropolis Kyiv closed down yesterday successful fearfulness of a retaliation.

Moscow's ambassador to the UK accused Britain of being "directly involved" successful the Ukraine warfare aft the Storm Shadow onslaught against targets heavy wrong Russia.

Andrei Kelin told Sky News: "Britain and the UK is present straight progressive successful this war, due to the fact that this firing cannot hap without Nato staff, British unit arsenic well."

Moscow warned for months that the usage of Western long-range missiles by Ukraine would people a large escalation.

In September, a snarling Putin said it would "mean that Nato countries are astatine warfare with Russia".

And connected Tuesday the rattled despot treble down, approving a caller atomic doctrine just hours aft the ATACMS strike.

The caller argumentation allows Moscow to usage atomic weapons against non-nuclear states and Russia said the determination should beryllium seen arsenic a informing to the West.

Putin's propagandist puppets blasted threats against the US and UK connected TV - with apical Kremlin lap-dog Dmitry Peskov swearing that the usage of Western non-nuclear missiles by Ukraine's armies could spark a atomic response.

While Moscow declined to remark publically connected the attack, Russia's overseas ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova was told halfway done a property briefing not to remark connected the suspected ICBM strike.

She could beryllium seen answering a telephone successful the mediate of the televised conference.

The speech was overheard via her mic - with a presumably elder diplomat saying: "Masha [Maria], ballistic rocket strikes connected Yuzhmash [defence works successful Dnipro].

"The Westerners are talking astir it now. Don’t remark astatine all."

She besides slammed the opening of a caller US ballistic rocket defence basal successful Redzikowo, a colony successful Poland.

Zakharova said it had been added to a "list of precedence targets for imaginable demolition which, if necessary, tin beryllium executed with a wide scope of precocious weapons".

The EU has said Russia's reported ICBM attack, if confirmed, would people a "clear escalation" by Putin.

The UK meantime said the onslaught would beryllium "reckless and escalatory".

Defence Sec John Healey went a measurement further, telling the UK Defence Committee that Russia whitethorn person been proceeding up to motorboat a ballistic rocket for months.

In crunch talks contiguous helium said: "there are unconfirmed media reports contiguous of Russia firing a caller ballistic rocket into Ukraine which we cognize they person been preparing for months".

"The beforehand enactment is present little unchangeable than astatine immoderate clip since the aboriginal days of the afloat standard Russian penetration successful 2022," helium said.

"We person seen successful caller weeks a precise wide escalation from Putin and his forces.

"They person stepped up attacks connected the vigor strategy successful Ukraine up of winter, they person stepped up attacks connected civilian centres sidesplitting children, they person deployed astatine slightest 10,000 North Korean troops to the conflict beforehand line.

"While the Ukrainian actions connected the battlefield talk for themselves, beryllium successful nary uncertainty that UK Government is stepping up our enactment for Ukraine, determined to proceed doubling down our enactment for Ukraine."