Ukraine’s Air Force reported a threat of a possible nuclear-capable missile fired from a Russian strategic nuclear testing site late Thursday, according to reports.
Explosions were reported in the western city of Lviv after the threat of an intermediate-range ballistic missile was detected from Russia’s Kapustin Yar site just before midnight, the Ukrainian Air Force said in a statement early on Friday.
It was not immediately confirmed whether a nuclear-capable missile from that testing site was responsible for the explosions, the New York Times reported.
If confirmed, it would mark only the second time Russia has fired such a missile from a strategic testing site far from Ukraine’s borders — and signal an ominous threat to Ukraine and its Western allies, according to the outlet.
The blasts came closer to the border of NATO member Poland than a 2024 strike involving the intermediate-range Oreshnik missile, heightening fears of possible escalation.
Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi wrote on Telegram that the explosions damaged unspecified infrastructure.
The possible strike comes as Russia rejected the latest US-backed offering to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
Moscow’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs slammed the US-European proposal for security assurances for Ukraine, saying the protection plan amounts to “a true axis of war” in a blistering statement.
“The document turned out to be extremely far from a peace settlement. The declaration is not aimed at achieving a lasting peace and security but rather at continuing the militarization, escalation, and further conflict aggravation,” the ministry claimed.