Russia appears to have attacked Ukraine with nuclear-capable missile – Firstpost

In a major escalation, it appears that Russia on Thursday night attacked Ukraine with a nuclear-capable missile.

The Ukrainian air force on Thursday night said it had detected a launch at Russia’s Kapustin Yar site near the Caspian Sea. The range is a dedicated site to test nuclear weapons.

The alert about the detection was followed by explosions near western Ukraine’s Lviv near the border with Poland. The sequence of events suggest the explosions could be from a missile launched from the Kapustin Yar range.

“On 01/08/2026 at around 23:30, a missile threat was declared across the entire territory of Ukraine due to the risk of the enemy using ballistic missiles from the Kapustin Yar testing range. Explosions have been reported in the Lviv region. Information is being clarified,” the statement read.

If confirmed, it would mark only the second such strike since Russia launched the full-scale invasion in 2022.

The apparent usage of a nuclear-capable missile has happened at a time when Russia has rejected US and European security guarantees for Ukraine. It has also rejected US President Donald Trump’s revised peace proposal that continues to carry terms favourable to Russia.

The potential usage of the nuclear missile was part of a barrage that also struck Ukrainian capital Kyiv and killed at least 10 persons and injured 14.

Previously, Russia attacked Ukraine with an intermediate-range nuclear-capable missile, Oreshnik, which was launched from the same Kapustin Yar range. But there are notable differences between the two strikes.

For one, the previous strike targeted an aerospace factory in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro. This time, Russia has struck Lviv in the western partner close to the border with Nato member Poland. The message would not be lost on anyone.

It is not yet clear if the Russian missile launched on Thursday was Oreshnik.