Ukraine’s claim that Russia launched an intercontinental ballistic missile at its territory today – the first reported use of such a weapon during the war – is denied by a Western official. Listen to the Sky News Daily podcast as you scroll.
Thursday 21 November 2024 23:00, UK
But we’ll be back tomorrow with more updates on the war.
Here is a brief overview of the key lines from today:
Ukraine is “not afraid of Putin”, the former Ukraine foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba has told Sky News this evening.
Asked how worried he was about reports that an intercontinental missile had been used against Ukraine, he said: “We have survived so many missile attacks.
“When you have 100 missiles and drones being shot at you in one night it is no less scary than an intercontinental missile.
“I want everyone to understand one thing – we have lived in this reality for two and a half years.
“Every night you wake up because of the air raid sirens and every night you know someone will die because of a drone or missile attack in Ukraine.
“We are not afraid of Putin and I would strongly advise everyone in the West not to be afraid of him either.”
The 1,000th day of war in Ukraine was a significant one.
It marked the first time, according to Moscow, that Ukraine used US-supplied long-range missiles to fire deep into Russia.
It came just a day after Joe Biden authorised the move – something he had been reluctant to do for some time.
The stunning shift in policy was a welcome one for Ukraine in its attempt to defend itself against Russian aggression – but it has led to fears that a wider conflict could be bubbling.
Could it?
You can read more here…
By Ivor Bennett, Moscow correspondent
Vladimir Putin’s address following the attack in Dnipro today feels like a very significant moment in the war, and there are a few reasons for that.
Firstly, the weapon itself. A hypersonic, non-nuclear ballistic missile. The Russian president claims it cannot be intercepted by existing missile defence systems.
Secondly, the threat. He implied that Russia could attack British or American military facilities. That’s new too, we haven’t heard it before.
Putin’s justification is that the UK and the US are now directly involved in the conflict, because he claims it’s not just weapons and permission they’re giving to Ukraine, but satellite capabilities and operational aspects too.
And thirdly, the setting. Vladimir Putin chose to give a televised address, which is something reserved for important, national moments. For example, that’s how he addressed the public following the Moscow terror attack on a concert hall in March.
And he did the same, of course, when he launched the full-scale invasion which started this crisis nearly three years ago.
So the setting of his address, its substance and the new hardware he was trumpeting, all add up to what I think will be an extremely tense new phase in the war.
Joe Biden lifted his ban on Ukraine firing US missiles at targets deep inside Russia in response to North Korea’s entry to the war, sources have told Reuters.
The US president had for months resisted pleas from Volodymyr Zelenskyy to ease limits on the use of US-supplied ATACMs missiles.
But Moscow’s decision to deploy North Korean soldiers to Russia’s Kursk region represented a major escalation that
demanded a response, a senior US official and two other sources said.
Donald Trump’s election victory also added pressure on the White House, the sources said.
The strike on Dnipro is a “clear and severe escalation” in the war, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.
In a statement on X, the Ukrainian president noted a new ballistic missile has been used today on the city.
“This is a clear and severe escalation in the scale and brutality of this war – a cynical violation of the UN Charter by Russia,” he said.
“Let me emphasise: this is already Russia’s second step toward escalation this year.
“The first was involving North Korea in the war against Ukraine with a contingent of at least 11,000 soldiers.”
Zelenskyy said Putin had taken both of these steps while “ignoring everyone in the world who is calling for no further expansion of the war”.
He also said the use of a ballistic missile against Ukraine was “yet more proof that Russia has no interest in peace”.
“Putin alone started this war -an entirely unprovoked war -and he is doing everything to prolong it, now for over a thousand days,” he added.
You can read Zelenskyy’s full statement below…
Today, UK defence secretary John Healey said intelligence had revealed the frontline in Ukraine was “now less stable than at any time since the early days of the full scale Russian invasion”.
Speaking on this, our military analyst Sean Bell says a “perfect storm has happened”.
“Ukraine decided to mount this audacious incursion into Russia itself in the Kursk region which might have eased tension but what it has done is split its limited resources and Russia has been on the front foot,” he says.
“Intelligence is suggesting it’s not just equipment Ukraine needs, it’s desperately running short of manpower.”
Bell says normally this is not something that is admitted but the fact that it has is something to note.
Turning to Russia’s missile strike on Dnipro this morning, he says intercontinental missiles are generally used for the delivery of nuclear weapons – but this is not always the case.
“They are a delivery mechanism for an explosive charge – which is any missile,” he says.
Ukraine has said Russia used an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on the city, but Moscow and Western officials say a shorter-range missile was used instead.
Former security minister Tom Tugendhat has told Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge he “won’t listen to the Russian ambassador any more”.
During the interview this evening, Mr Tugendhat was asked about comments made by Andrei Kelin to Sky News in which he said Britain was now “directly involved in this war”.
He made the comments after Ukraine reportedly used British Storm Shadow missiles to hit Russian soil, having being given permission to do so.
Mr Tugendhat said: “I’m afraid I won’t listen to the Russian ambassador any more. He just lies the whole time, and it’s completely irrelevant what he says anyway, because he’s not listened to in Moscow.”
The former minister also said Britain should have given Kyiv permission to use Storm Shadows “sooner”.
Pushed on whether the British public should be worried by the Russian ambassador’s words, Mr Tugendhat claimed both the ambassador and the Russian foreign minister were “completely irrelevant” voices in Moscow.
Asked again by Sophy Ridge if the UK should be taking Russia’s threats more seriously, Mr Tugendhat noted the UK has for years faced a “vicious and violent campaign” – including cyberattacks and sometimes deadly chemical attacks against individuals.
“They’re already trying to murder people here.”
As we’ve been reporting today, Russia says it has fired a new type of missile at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro today.
There have been conflicting reports of exactly what type of missile it was, with Ukraine saying it had been hit with an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
But Western officials said the weapon was an intermediate-range ballistic missile that has a smaller range.
Russia also said it had used an intermediate-range missile.
Now seems an appropriate time to explain what an ICBM is…
ICBMs are ballistic missiles capable of travelling more than 5,500km (3,418 miles).
They’re primarily designed for the delivery of nuclear weapons.
Nuclear warheads can be fitted onto the missile, as can conventional warheads, chemical, and biological weapons.
The US, UK, Israel, Russia, China, France, India and North Korea are the only countries known to have operational ICBMs.
They differ from cruise missiles because they are powered by rockets initially, whereas cruise missiles use jet engines.
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