According to the information of the Ukrainian military command, on the night of November 21, Russia launched an intercontinental ballistic missile over the Dnieper. This is a weapon that began to be created during the "cold war" of the USA and the USSR as a key part of nuclear deterrence, but has not yet been used in combat conditions.
Points of attention
- The recent attack on Ukraine by Russia using the RS-26 Rubezh missile signifies a potentially unprecedented military use of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
- The RS-26 Rubezh missile is shrouded in mystery and considered a strategic weapon that poses challenges due to its advanced capabilities and potential for nuclear deterrence.
- Counteracting the RS-26 missile poses significant challenges, as it can be difficult to intercept and neutralize, especially without specialized defense systems like the THAAD complex.
- The attack on Ukraine with the RS-26 missile is seen as a demonstration of Russia's nuclear strike capability, highlighting the need for vigilance and preparedness against potential threats.
- While the exact nature of the RS-26 missile attack is still debated, the event underscores the importance of international cooperation and disarmament efforts to prevent escalation of conflicts involving advanced weaponry.
Russia probably hit the Dnipro RS-26 Rubezh
Later, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that the strike was caused by an intercontinental ballistic missile.
Today there was a new Russian rocket. All characteristics — speed, altitude — intercontinental ballistic. Examinations are now underway. It is obvious that Putin uses Ukraine as a training ground.
Volodymyr Zelenskyi
President of Ukraine
According to Ukrainian media sources, the Russian Federation used the RS-26 "Rubezh" missile. The spokesman of the Air Force Command Yuriy Ignat did not confirm, but did not deny this information.
According to Ukrainian officials, the Russian Federation attacked "enterprises and critical infrastructure" of the Dnipro.
Russian sources indicate that the leading enterprise of the rocket and space industry of Ukraine — "Pivdenmash" — came under attack.
The head of the Dnipropetrovsk region, Serhiy Lysak, said that "the industrial enterprise was damaged", and in general, two civilians were injured by the rocket attack.
Russia did not officially confirm the use of ICBMs, however, during the briefing of the spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Maria Zakharova, a moment was broadcast when she picks up a mobile phone right during the speech, and from there a male voice orders her "not to comment on the ballistic missile strike" on "Pivdenmash" .
American officials have not yet confirmed the use of the intercontinental ballistic missile of the Russian Federation.
Pavel Podvig, head of the project "Nuclear Arms of Russia" of the UN Institute for the Study of Disarmament Problems, also has doubts about this.
Regarding the reports about the ICBM released by Russia over the Dnipro. I believe that one should be skeptical and cautious. The fact is that intercontinental ballistic missiles were developed for a range of more than 5,500 kilometers. And the missile that hit the Dnipro on November 21 traveled approximately 800 km from the Kapustin Yar test site (Astrakhan region of the Russian Federation).
Another UN researcher on nuclear disarmament, Andriy Baklitskyi, considers this attack by Moscow "unprecedented".
If true, it would be completely unprecedented and the first real military use of an ICBM. Not that it makes sense given their price and accuracy.
A mysterious missile to intimidate the world
The RS-26 ("Rubezh") missile is one of the most mysterious and least researched types of Russian strategic weapons.
In part, this may be due to the fact that its very creation already looked like a gross and demonstrative violation of the Treaty on the Elimination of Medium- and Short-Range Missiles.
It was concluded between the USSR and the USA in December 1987 and provided for the destruction and cessation of development of short-range (500 to 1000 km) and medium-range (1000 to 5500 km) missiles.
RS-26 missiles, according to all preliminary estimates, should be classified as medium-range missiles, not intercontinental ones (range 5,500-16,000 km).
There are no official data on its adoption by the Russian Army, although, according to press reports, it was planned to do so in 2015-16.
According to preliminary data, "Rubezh" can launch a small-sized missile with a range of 2,000 to 6,000 km. The launcher itself is placed on the chassis of the wheeled tractor.
The approximate weight of the missile is about 40 tons, but it probably exists in the RGCH IN version (separate main part with individual guidance units).
According to experts, this is the type of missile that hit the Dnipro, as the video footage shows how six warheads successively fall from the sky on the target and hit a rather small area. It turns out that the version with a unitary (single) warhead could not have been launched.
A ballistic missile is launched from a mobile installation, rises to a very significant height into space, there is a separation of an autonomous separation unit, which gradually shoots down all combat units or false targets. They hit a target on the ground at high speed, attacking it almost vertically from above.
What can beat "Rubezh"
Such an attack is almost impossible to repulse with air defense means. The only option is to shoot down the missile at a high altitude before it has time to separate the individual combat units. The expensive American THAAD complex, which Ukraine does not have in service, is capable of this. And even in the USA and its allies, it is in very limited quantities.
At the same time, the specialized publication Defense Express believes that in Dnipro on November 21, the RS-26 combat units did not actually have explosives and were used as simulators.
Most likely, they did not have combat equipment and were only imitators. But the fact is that they have a huge kinetic energy due to the fall from near-Earth space.
Simulation of a nuclear strike
Russia wanted to demonstrate its ability to launch missiles with nuclear warheads over Ukraine.
Today's, November 21, strike on the Dnipro using an intermediate or intercontinental ballistic missile objectively became a rehearsal and demonstration of a nuclear strike using simulators of warheads with individual guidance. And this is the first combat use of weapons of this class, even if it is only for intimidation, — the Defense Express article states.
The Ukrainian authorities do not say whether the ICBM combat units had explosives or were imitations. However, it should be noted that the Air Force statement states that the missile strike had "no significant consequences."
