A resident walks at the site of a Russian missile strike in Dnipro, Ukraine, November 21.
Mykola Synelnykov/ReutersRussia’s use of a nuclear-capable ballistic missile on Thursday is the latest escalation in the Ukraine war.
The use of what Vladimir Putin said was a ballistic missile with multiple warheads in offensive combat is a clear departure from decades of the Cold War doctrine of deterrence.
Ballistic missiles with multiple warheads, known as “multiple independently targeted reentry vehicles,” or MIRVs, have never been used to strike on an enemy, experts say.
Ballistic missiles have been the underpinning of deterrence, offering what is known as “mutual assured destruction,” or MAD, in the nuclear age.
Persons:
Mykola Synelnykov, Vladimir Putin, MIRV, ” Hans Kristensen, Kristensen
Organizations:
Reuters, West, Federation of American, Ballistic
Locations:
Russian, Dnipro, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Russia, Europe