The Ukrainian Air Force warned of the threat of a possible launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile from a Russian strategic nuclear test site.

According to the New York Times report, explosions occurred shortly afterward near the city of Lviv, in western Ukraine. If confirmed, the use of this weapon, even if armed with conventional or simulated warheads, would constitute a serious threat to Ukraine and its Western allies, and an escalation of tensions by Russian President Vladimir Putin. It should be noted that this would not be the first attack of its kind; in 2024, Russia attacked Ukraine with a new model of intermediate-range missile known as the Oreshnik, which was also launched from this test range. As announced that year, this missile is capable of reaching hypersonic speeds with a high level of penetration, making it difficult to intercept. The missile has both nuclear and conventional capabilities. Furthermore, Russian authorities estimate that the massive use of the Oreshnik missile with conventional weaponry could be equated to a nuclear attack, meaning this new attack could open a new chapter in the conflict that began in February 2022. For now, both the mayor of Lviv, Andriy Sadovyi, and the regional governor, Maksym Kozytskyi, only mentioned that the Russian attack hit an infrastructure target in western Ukraine, though they did not provide details about the weapon used. Sadovyi said it was up to the Ukrainian military to determine whether the weapon deployed by Russian forces was an Oreshnik missile. Ukrainian media outlets quote the Western Command of the Ukrainian Air Force as saying that a ballistic missile traveling at a speed of nearly 8,000 mph was used.

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