Russia launched an intercontinental ballistic missile during an attack on Ukraine on Thursday, Kyiv's air force said, in the first known use in the war of such a powerful, nuclear-capable weapon with a range of thousands of kilometers.

The air force reported the launch after Ukraine fired U.S. and British missiles at targets inside Russia this week, despite warnings by Moscow that it would see such action as a major escalation in the 33-month-old war.

Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022, did not immediately comment on the air force statement.