18-05-2025
Russia Preparing 'Combat Training' ICBM Launch, Kyiv Warns
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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Russia is reportedly planning to conduct a "combat training" launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Monday night as a show of force, Ukraine's military intelligence agency said in a notice on Sunday.
Newsweek has contacted Russia's defense ministry for comment via email on Sunday.
Why It Matters
Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a war for more than three years after Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded the Eastern European nation in February 2022.
The two nations met on Friday in Turkey to discuss on how to end the war, marking the first direct meeting between Russia and Ukraine since March 2022.
What To Know
Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence said on Sunday that Moscow was planning to carry out a "combat training" launch of the RS-24 ICBM from a launch site near the village of Svobodny in the Sverdlovsk region of Russia.
The launch of the missile, equipped with training ammunition, was ordered to be carried out by the crew of the 433rd regiment of the 42nd division of the 31st Army of Russia's strategic missile forces, Kyiv's Main Directorate of Intelligence said.
It added that the flight range of the three-stage solid-propellant rocket is more than 10,000 kilometers (6,200 miles).
The agency said the move was meant as an intimidation tactic against Ukraine, the European Union, (EU) and member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
In a Truth Social post on Saturday, President Donald Trump shared his plan to speak with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine next week, with the goal of encouraging a final agreement to end the conflict. The day prior, both sides met in Istanbul for talks.
The talks lasted under two hours and ended without a ceasefire deal, but a prisoner exchange was agreed upon, according to the Associated Press.
A Yars mobile nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missile is seen during drills at an undisclosed location in Russia on February 6.
A Yars mobile nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missile is seen during drills at an undisclosed location in Russia on February 6.
Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP
What People Are Saying
Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence said in a statement: "In order to demonstratively pressure and intimidate Ukraine, as well as EU and NATO member states, the aggressor state Russia intends to carry out a 'combat training' launch of the RS-24 intercontinental ballistic missile from the Yars complex on the night of May 19, 2025."
President Donald Trump wrote in a Truth Social Post on Saturday: "I will be speaking, by telephone, to President Vladimir Putin of Russia on Monday, at 10 a.m. the subjects of the call will be, stopping the 'bloodbath' that is killing, on average, more than 5,000 Russian and Ukrainian soldiers a week, and trade."
He continued: "I will then be speaking to President Zelensky of Ukraine and members of NATO. Hopefully it will be a productive day, a ceasefire will take place, and this very violent war, a war that should have never happened, will end. God bless us all!!!"
What Happens Next?
In a Saturday post on X, formerly Twitter, Zelensky called on the international community to maintain pressure on Moscow, renewing his call for sanctions if Russia does not pursue genuine diplomatic efforts.
"Without tougher sanctions, without stronger pressure, Russia will not seek real diplomacy," he wrote.
