Russia launched an intercontinental ballistic missile at Ukraine for the first time on Thursday morning, Kyiv’s air force said. 

The missile, which has never been used in combat before, was launched from Astrakhan and targeted critical infrastructure in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro, it added.

Ukraine’s military did not specify if the attack caused any damage. 

On Wednesday, Ukrainian media reported that the Kremlin was threatening to strike the country with a “massive” new missile in retaliation for Kyiv firing UK and US long-range missiles at targets inside Russia. 

Russian media reported that Moscow was preparing to launch RS-26 Rubezh missiles from a site in Astrakhan by the Caspian Sea. 

Western nations including the United States shut their embassies on Thursday in anticipation of a large-scale air strike.

The RS-26, which can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads, has not been used in combat before, according to Western missile experts. It is said to fly at five times the speed of sound, making it harder for Kyiv’s US-supplied Patriot missile systems to shoot down.