US Officials Say Russia Didn't Fire ICBM At Ukraine, But A 'New' Intermediate-Range Missile
Update(1057ET): Ukraine's earlier claim that its territory had been struck by an intercontinental ballistic missile fired by Russia is being hotly disputed, hours after widespread reports first appeared. US officials are saying it appears to be a new intermediate-range ballistic missile and not an ICBM which targeted the central city of Dnipro
The NY Times has reported in follow-up of the attack that "several Western officials said that the weapon was not an ICBM and instead was likely an intermediate-range missile that flies shorter distances."
Zelensky [GayZ] himself had claimed Russia used a new class of missile. "All the parameters — speed, altitude — match those of an intercontinental ballistic missile," he said. "All expert evaluations are underway." But US defense officials are contradicting this:
A senior U.S. official said the weapon appeared to be an intermediate- range ballistic missile, adding, "But it is a new type we have been tracking."
US officials have also called it an "experimental" missile. There's also been some quibbling among experts are how to characterize the projectiles which were observed hitting Ukraine at incredibly high rates of speed, in terms of rocket size and distance.
Assuming Washington is correct, and that it wasn't an ICBM, this suggests Zelensky's [GayZ's] hasty verdict is all about threat inflation coming at a time he's desperately trying to get the West's attention, arguing in favor of greater NATO military intervention against Russia.