Ukraine marks the Day of Dignity and Freedom on Thursday. Russia likely launched an RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile at Ukraine for the first time. A Russian missile strike on Kryvyi Rih injured at least 31, including two teenagers.
Russia likely launched RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile at Ukraine for first time
The city of Dnipro was rocked by a series of explosions on Thursday morning after an air raid alert was declared across Ukraine. The Ukrainian Air Force described the threat as coming from ballistic missiles.
The Ukrainian Air Force later said that Russia launched an intercontinental ballistic missile from the Astrahan region, targeting Dnipro. The attack did not cause any serious damage, it added. The city was also struck by seven Kh-101 air-launched cruise missiles and a Kh-47M2 Kinzhal ballistic missile. Two people were wounded in the strike, and an industrial facility, apartment buildings, and a rehabilitation center for people with disabilities were damaged, according to local officials.
Analysts of Ukrainian news web site Defense Express said the weapon Russia used in the attack appears to have been an RS-26 Rubezh intermediate-range ballistic missile, or a Topol or Yars intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Although the nuclear payload appeared to have been replaced with a non-nuclear one in this case, the use of the multiple warheads technology was intended to send a message.
Ukrainian news outlet Ukrainska Pravda said, citing sources, that Russia launched an RS-26 Rubezh missile at the country on Thursday. American officials said an initial U.S. assessment indicated the strike was carried out with an intermediate-range ballistic missile.
Commenting on the morning strike, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said in a video address Thursday: “Today it was a new Russian missile. All the parameters: speed, altitude — match those of an intercontinental ballistic missile. All expert evaluations are underway.”
“Today, our crazy neighbor once again showed what he really is — its disdain for dignity, freedom, and human life itself, and, most of all, its fear. Fear so overwhelming that it unleashes missile after missile, scouring the globe for more weapons,” Zelenskyi added.
Ukraine conducts combined strike against targets in Russia’s rear, using drones, Western missiles, ISW says
Ukrainian forces notably utilized both long-range strike drones and Storm Shadow missiles in the November 19-20 strike and struck a diverse range of military targets across the Russian rear, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in a report Wednesday. The below paragraphs are quoted from the update.
Ukraine conducted a successful combined strike against military assets in the Russian rear on the night of November 19 to 20 using drones and Western-provided long-range weapons. Geolocated footage published on November 20 shows the aftermath of a likely Storm Shadow strike near Marino, Kursk Oblast. The geolocated footage of the strike suggests that the Ukrainian target may have been the Baryatinsky Estate in Marino, which the Ukrainian defense-focused outlet Defense Express suggested was housing a command post for Russian and North Korean troops operating in Kursk Oblast. ISW cannot confirm this claim at this time, but Marino is about 30km from the current Kursk Oblast salient, which would be an appropriate distance for an operational headquarters for troops conducting offensives along the salient.
Ukrainian forces also conducted a large-scale drone strike against the Russian rear on the night of November 19 to 20, particularly targeting military and defense industrial assets in Voronezh, Belgorod, and Novgorod oblasts. The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) claimed that Russian air defense systems destroyed or intercepted a total of 44 Ukrainian drones as of the morning of November 20, including 20 over Novgorod Oblast. Head of Ukraine’s Center for Combatting Disinformation Lieutenant Andriy Kovalenko stated on November 20 that Ukrainian drones struck the 13th Main Missile and Artillery Directorate (GRAU) arsenal near Kotovo, Novgorod Oblast, at which Russian forces were reportedly storing ammunition for tube artillery; mortar mines; “Grad,” “Smerch,” and “Uragan” multi-launch rocket systems (MLRS) missiles; Iskander ballistic missiles; S-300 and S-400 surface-to-air missiles; North Korean provided KN-23 ballistic missiles; and Tor surface-to-air system missiles.
Ukraine’s Main Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) reported that Ukrainian forces also struck a command post of the Russian “Sever” (Nothern) Grouping of Forces in Gubkin, Belgorod Oblast. Ukrainian and Russian sources additionally posted footage of the aftermath of a reported Ukrainian drone strike against the EFKO Factory in Alekseyevka, Belgorod Oblast, which Kovalenko stated produces cargo drones for the Russian military. Russian sources reported that Ukrainian drones also hit an unspecified industrial enterprise in Voronezh Oblast and targeted an oil depot in Sosnovka, Samara Oblast.
The November 19 to 20 strike series indicates that Ukraine has already begun leveraging Western-provided long-range weapons systems to assemble more complex and effective strike packages.
Russian missile strike on Kryvyi Rih injures at least 31, including two teenagers
A Russian missile strike on the city of Kryvyi Rih in the region of Dnipro has injured at least 31 people, head of the regional military administration, Serhiy Lysak said Thursday. The strike damaged three administrative buildings, nine apartment buildings, a post office and an overhead power line. The Ukrainian Air Force earlier warned of a ballistic missile threat.
Lysak added that at least 10 of the wounded are in hospital and two women are in serious condition. A 17-year-old boy was taken to hospital, and a 16 year-old boy was treated on the spot. Rescue works are underway.
