Ukraine says Russia launched an intercontinental missile in an attack for the first time in the war

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine claimed Thursday that Russia launched an intercontinental ballistic missile overnight at one of its cities. If confirmed, it would be the first time Moscow has used such a weapon in the war.

Ukraine did not provide any evidence that an ICBM was used in the attack on the central city of Dnipro, apparently armed with conventional warheads.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a missile used “matches the speed and altitude” of an ICBM. The Kremlin refused to comment on the strike.

The attack comes in a week when tensions have repeatedly soared, as the U.S. eased restrictions on Ukraine's use of American-made longer-range missiles inside Russia and the Kremlin lowered its threshold for launching nuclear weapons.

The range of an ICBM — which can exceed 5,500 kilometers (3,400 miles) — is beyond what is needed to attack Ukraine. But such missiles are designed to carry atomic warheads, and the use of one, even with a conventional payload, would serve as a chilling reminder of Russia’s nuclear capability and a powerful message of potential escalation.

In a statement Thursday on the Telegram messaging app, Ukraine's air force said an intercontinental ballistic missile was fired at Dnipro, along with eight other missiles, and that the Ukrainian military shot down six of them.

Two people were wounded in the attack, and an industrial facility and a rehabilitation center for people with disabilities were damaged, according to local officials.

The air force statement did not specify the exact type of ICBM but said it was launched from Russia’s Astrakhan region, on the Caspian Sea.

“Today, our crazy neighbor once again showed what he really is,” Zelenskyy said. “And how afraid he is.”

U.K. officials did not immediately confirm what kind of missile Russia fired. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesman, Dave Pares, called the reports “deeply concerning” but added that intelligence services were still looking into them.

“If true, clearly this would be another example of grave, reckless and escalatory behavior from Russia and only serves to strengthen our resolve,” he said.

Defense Secretary John Healey said there were “unconfirmed reports … of Russia firing a new ballistic missile into Ukraine, which we know they have been preparing for months.”

Ballistic missiles can have a range of anywhere from under 500 kilometers (310 miles) to over 5,500 kilometers (3,400 miles) in the case of intercontinental ones. “Ballistic” refers to the shape of their trajectory.

Since the Cold War era, Moscow and Washington have given each other advance notice about ICBM launches to prevent the other side from perceiving a test launch as a nuclear attack.

They have stuck to exchanging such warnings despite increasing tensions — which ratcheted up again in recent days.

Earlier this week, the Biden administration authorized Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied, longer-range missiles to strike deeper inside Russia — a move that drew an angry response from Moscow.

Days later, Ukraine fired several of the missiles into Russia, according to the Kremlin. The same day, President Vladimir Putin signed a new doctrine that allows for a potential nuclear response even to a conventional attack on Russia by any nation that is supported by a nuclear power.

The doctrine is formulated broadly to avoid a firm commitment to use nuclear weapons. In response, Western countries, including the U.S., said Russia has used irresponsible nuclear rhetoric and behavior throughout the war to intimidate Ukraine and other nations.

They have also expressed dismay at the deployment of thousands of North Korean troops to Russia to fight against Ukraine.

Also Thursday, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that its air defense systems shot down two British-made Storm Shadow missiles, six HIMARS rockets, and 67 drones.

The statement didn’t say when or where the Storm Shadows were shot down or what they were targeting. Russia earlier reported downing some of the missiles over the illegally annexed Crimean Peninsula.

Russia also struck Zelenskyy’s home city of Kryvyi Rih, wounding 26 people, said the head of regional administration, Serhii Lysak. The missile strike caused damage to an administrative building, at least five multistory residential buildings, and civilian vehicles.

In this photo provided by Ukraine's 24th Mechanised Brigade press service, serviceman of the 24th Mechanised Brigade prepares to fire 120mm mortar towards Russian positions near Chasiv Yar town, in Donetsk region, Ukraine, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (Oleg Petrasiuk/Ukrainian 24th Mechanised Brigade via AP)

In this photo provided by Ukraine's 24th Mechanised Brigade press service, servicemen of the 24th Mechanised Brigade prepare to fire 120mm mortar towards Russian positions near Chasiv Yar town, in Donetsk region, Ukraine, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (Oleg Petrasiuk/Ukrainian 24th Mechanised Brigade via AP)

In this photo provided by Ukraine's 24th Mechanised Brigade press service, serviceman of the 24th Mechanised Brigade prepares to fire 120mm mortar towards Russian positions near Chasiv Yar town, in Donetsk region, Ukraine, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (Oleg Petrasiuk/Ukrainian 24th Mechanised Brigade via AP)

In this photo provided by Ukraine's 24th Mechanised Brigade press service, serviceman of the 24th Mechanised Brigade prepares to fire 120mm mortar towards Russian positions near Chasiv Yar town, in Donetsk region, Ukraine, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (Oleg Petrasiuk/Ukrainian 24th Mechanised Brigade via AP)

In this photo provided by Ukraine's 24th Mechanised Brigade press service, servicemen of the 24th Mechanised Brigade rest in a shelter on the front line near Chasiv Yar town, in Donetsk region, Ukraine, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (Oleg Petrasiuk/Ukrainian 24th Mechanised Brigade via AP)

In this photo provided by Ukraine's 24th Mechanised Brigade press service, a serviceman of the 24th Mechanised Brigade rests in a shelter on the front line near Chasiv Yar town, in Donetsk region, Ukraine, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (Oleg Petrasiuk/Ukrainian 24th Mechanised Brigade via AP)

In this photo provided by Ukraine's 24th Mechanised Brigade press service, servicemen of the 24th Mechanised Brigade fire 120mm mortar towards Russian positions near Chasiv Yar town, in Donetsk region, Ukraine, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (Oleg Petrasiuk/Ukrainian 24th Mechanised Brigade via AP)

Wall Street is on track to open with gains following another strong earnings report from chipmaker Nvidia even if it didn't meet the sky-high expectations of investors.

Futures for the S&P 500 rose 0.2% before the bell Thursday, while futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.3%.

Nvidia's latest sales and profit report again topped analysts' expectations, but the chipmaker's shares were down less than 1% just hours before Thursday's opening bell.

Stephen Innes, managing partner at SPI Asset Management, said the market reaction to Nvidia’s performance was partly due to the positioning of investors before quarterly results were published.

It’s grown so fast, with its stock nearly tripling for the year so far, that pressure has grown for it to show it can keep leapfrogging past high expectations on Wall Street.

Shares of Google parent company Alphabet also retreated less than 1% after U.S. regulators asked judge to break up the tech giant by forcing it to sell its industry-leading Chrome web browser. In a 23-page document filed late Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice called for sweeping punishments that would include restrictions preventing Android from favoring its own search engine.

Regulators stopped short of demanding Google sell Android, but left the door open to it if the company's oversight committee continues to see evidence of misconduct.

U.S. benchmark crude prices are up 5% this week and on Thursday broke above $70 per barrel with Russia's war in Ukraine intensifying. After the Biden administration allowed Ukraine to attack Russia with longer-range American-made ATACMS missiles, Russian President Vladimir Putin lowered the threshold for using his nuclear arsenal, with the new doctrine announced this week permitting a potential nuclear response by Moscow even to a conventional attack on Russia by any nation that is supported by a nuclear power.

Deere & Co. rose 1.3% after the farm equipment manufacturer posted surprisingly strong fourth-quarter results.

Shares of India's Adani Enterprises plunged 23% Thursday after the U.S. charged founder Gautam Adani, 62, in a federal indictment with securities fraud and conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud. The Indian businessman and one of the world’s richest people is accused of duping investors by concealing that his company’s huge solar energy project on the subcontinent was being facilitated by an alleged bribery scheme.

At midday in Europe, France's CAC 40 lost 0.3%, while Germany's DAX rose 0.3%. Britain's FTSE 100 also added 0.3%.

In Asia, Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 shed 0.9% to finish at 38,026.17, as shares in semiconductor equipment maker Advantest Corp. dropped 1.6%. Chip maker Tokyo Electron shed 0.4%.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.1% to 8,323.00. South Korea's Kospi declined less than 0.1% to 2,480.63. Hong Kong's Hang Seng dipped 0.5% to 19,601.11, while the Shanghai Composite was little changed, rising less than 0.1% to 3,370.40.

U.S. crude gained $1.35 to $70.10 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, added $1.32 to $74.13 a barrel.

The U.S. dollar fell to 154.49 Japanese yen from 155.31 yen. The euro cost $1.0549, inching up from $1.0546.

Bitcoin is trading at $97,550 early Thursday after eclipsing $98,000 for the first time.

The facade of the New York Stock Exchange is illuminated on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan)

People walk by monitors showing Japan's Nikkei 225 index and Japan's foreign exchange rate against the U.S. dollar at a securities firm in Tokyo, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

Travelers walk by monitors showing Japan's Nikkei 225 index at a securities firm in Tokyo, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

A woman covering herself from the rain walks by monitors showing Japan's Nikkei 225 index at a securities firm in Tokyo, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

People walk by monitors showing Japan's Nikkei 225 index at a securities firm in Tokyo, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

A woman walks by a monitor showing Japan's foreign exchange rate against the U.S. dollar at a securities firm in Tokyo, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)