The Scoop
Russia warned the US of an incoming ballistic missile strike on Ukraine shortly before Thursday’s attack, a US administration official told Semafor.
“The United States was pre-notified briefly before the launch,” the official said.
The US also briefed Ukraine and other allies in the days leading up to the attack about Russia’s possible use of an experimental medium-range ballistic missile “to help them prepare,” the official said.
Russia and the US typically inform each other if they plan to launch ballistic missiles, however it was unclear whether or not Moscow had done so this time.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov said Russia warned the US 30 minutes before launching the missile, the Russian news agency TASS reported.
On Thursday, Russia struck the Ukrainian city of Dnipro; while Ukrainian officials initially accused Russia of using an intercontinental ballistic missile, Western officials have disputed that, saying it was an intermediate-range missile.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said it was a new medium-range ballistic missile called “Oreshnik,” adding that the attack was in response to Kyiv’s use of US and UK weapons to strike Russian territory.
“We are carefully analyzing the missile and the implications for Russia’s arms control obligations and for NATO’s deterrence and deference posture,” the US official said, adding that Russia likely only possesses “a handful” of this kind of missile.
Know More
The US and Russia typically notify each other when either party’s plans to fire intercontinental ballistic missiles or intermediate range ballistic missiles, communication aimed at avoiding any opportunity for misunderstandings that could lead to an accidental conflict or escalation between the two superpowers.
While Russia has withdrawn from or suspended many of its existing arms control agreements with the US, Russian officials said last year they would continue to notify Washington of ballistic missile launches.
Even so, nuclear experts were unsure if Russia had chosen to notify Washington about the strike that targeted Dnipro in Ukraine last night. “I doubt the sides ever had an understanding about whether launch notifications would apply in a war between one of them and a third party,” James Acton, the co-director of the Carnegie Endowment’s Nuclear Policy Program wrote on X.