Moment top Russian official is ordered not to talk about ‘ICBM strike on Ukraine’ when she receives urgent phone call in the middle of a live press conference


This is the moment a senior Kremlin official was urgently ordered not to comment on reports of an intercontinental ballistic missile strike on Ukraine this morning as she gave a press conference on the prospect of peace negotiations.

Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian foreign ministry, took a call in the middle of a press briefing today and was sternly advised by a senior diplomat not to discuss the unconfirmed reports.

‘Hello. I am having a briefing,’ she could be heard saying into the phone on footage shared from the conference. 

‘Masha,’ an unknown male voice on the phone said, addressing Ms Zakharova. ‘On the ‘Yuzhmash’ ballistic missile strike that the Westerners have started talking about, we are not commenting at all,’ it said, referring to an aerospace manufacturer based in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. 

It came as Ukraine’s armed forces reported today that Russia had launched an ICBM overnight targeting Dnipro city. If confirmed, it would be the first time Moscow has used such a missile in the war, ongoing since February 2022.

While the range would seem excessive for use against Ukraine, such missiles are designed to carry nuclear warheads, and the use of one would serve as a chilling reminder of Russia’s nuclear capability and a powerful message of potential escalation.

A Ukrainian air force source told the AFP news agency this morning that the missile did not have a nuclear charge.

Maria Zakharova took an urgent phone call and was urged not to comment on the reports

Maria Zakharova took an urgent phone call and was urged not to comment on the reports

Footage from social media purported to show an ICBM attack on Ukraine this morning

Footage from social media purported to show an ICBM attack on Ukraine this morning

If confirmed, it would be the first time such a weapon had been used in the course of the war

If confirmed, it would be the first time such a weapon had been used in the course of the war

Ms Zakharova spoke on propositions for a ‘realistic’ peace initiative on the conflict in Ukraine after the US granted Ukraine permission to use its supplied long-range ATACMS missiles against targets deep inside Russia.

‘We are open to negotiations, we are ready to consider any realistic, non-politicised initiative – of course,’ Zakharova said, adding that Russia would only consider a settlement ‘which was based on taking into account our interests’. 

‘I would like to emphasise once again: the key word is taking into account the interests of our country, the current situation on ground and guarantees of compliance with relevant agreements.’ 

Her statements came as Ukraine’s air force reported that an ICBM had been fired from a base in Russia’s southern Astrakhan region on the Caspian Sea.

The head of the wider region where the city of Dnipro is located said the Russian aerial bombardment had damaged a rehabilitation centre and several homes, as well as an industrial enterprise.

‘Two people were wounded – a 57-year-old man was treated on the scene and a 42-year-old woman was hospitalised,’ said the official, Sergiy Lysak.

Russian authorities have not yet confirmed the launch, but it would be the first time such a powerful missile has been deployed in the war.

Such an attack would mark a ‘clear escalation’ by President Vladimir Putin, the European Union said today.

‘While we’re assessing the full facts it’s obvious that such (an) attack would mark yet another clear escalation from the side of Putin,’ EU foreign affairs spokesman Peter Stano told reporters, saying the move would represent a ‘quantitative and qualitative change’ in the war.

Russia has so far closed ranks on the issue. Asked whether Moscow fired the missile, which can hit targets thousands of kilometres away, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he had ‘nothing to say on this topic.’

The Kremlin, however, did claim it was making ‘maximum effort’ to avoid a nuclear conflict after it updated its nuclear doctrine this week.

The new policy allows Moscow to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states and Russia said it should be seen as a warning to the West.

‘We have stressed in the context of our doctrine that Russia is taking a responsible position to make maximum effort not to allow such a conflict,’ Peskov added Thursday.

Russia this morning allegedly fired an ICBM as part of a brutal barrage of targets in Ukraine

Russia this morning allegedly fired an ICBM as part of a brutal barrage of targets in Ukraine

The RS-26 or Frontier missiles weigh up to 50 tonnes and have a 3,600 mile-range, although they have never been used in combat

The RS-26 or Frontier missiles weigh up to 50 tonnes and have a 3,600 mile-range, although they have never been used in combat

During today’s conference, Ms Zakharova also relayed threats to strike US air bases in Poland with ‘advanced weapons’, citing the recent opening of an American ballistic missile defence base in Redzikowo, near the Baltic coast.

‘This is another frankly provocative step in a series of deeply destabilising actions by the Americans and their allies,’ Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said of the airbase’s unveiling.

Putin this week reiterated nuclear consequences if long-range US missiles from Ukraine hit deep within his country – after President Biden conceded to Kyiv permission to use its ATACMS missiles beyond its borders.

The Russian president signed a revised nuclear doctrine that formally lowers the threshold for the country’s use of nuclear weapons as Ukraine fired several American-supplied longer-range missiles and reportedly fired U.K.-made Storm Shadows into Russia this week. 

The decision to allow use of long-range Western weapons came after months of anxiety about the possibility of escalation – and fears Ukraine may be losing momentum after making gains in Russia’s Kursk region earlier this year.



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