Russia seeks to intimidate Ukraine with new missile, officials say

By launching a new nuclear-capable intermediate-range ballistic missile at Ukraine on Thursday, Russia was threatening Kyiv and its Western allies with the aim of stopping Ukrainian strikes with Western-supplied weapons on Russian territory — or else.

The attack on the eastern city of Dnipro has spurred fears in the West over a major escalation in the ongoing war and prompted Ukraine to request new air defense capabilities from Washington to help intercept this type of missile.

But analysts and officials in Ukraine and the West, speaking Friday, said that while the attack had been accompanied by a major increase in threatening statements, it was ultimately just more Kremlin bravado.

Moscow aimed to “intimidate those who support Ukraine,” NATO spokeswoman Farah Dakhlallah said in an email. “Deploying this capability will neither change the course of the conflict nor deter NATO Allies from supporting Ukraine.”

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