There are four types of ballistic missiles - short-range, medium-range, intermediate-range and long-range, also known as intercontinental.

Short-range missiles can travel up to 1,000 km (620 miles), and are also known as "tactical" ballistic missiles. The medium-range can travel between 1,000 and 3,000 km (620-1,860 miles) and known as "theatre" ballistic missiles.

The intermediate-range can travel between 3,000 and 5,500 km (1,860-3,410 miles) and the long-range - the ICBM - can travel even further.

That means some intercontinental ballistic missiles could strike targets virtually anywhere on Earth.

All ballistic missiles can carry either nuclear or conventional warheads.

It still remains unclear exactly what type Russia used to attack Ukraine this morning. Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, says it has "characteristics" of an ICBM. But US officials aren't so sure: an unnamed official that spoke to CBS specified that it was a ballistic missile, but not an intercontinental one.

BBC investigating footage of Dnipro strikespublished at 12:52 Greenwich Mean Time 21 November

12:52 GMT 21 November

By Matt Murphy

BBC Verify is working to authenticate footage circulating online that some are claiming shows the use of a Russian intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in Ukraine.

Some of the videos claim to show the missile strike targeting the central city of Dnipro.

While Ukraine has accused Russia of using ICBMs, conflicting reports have emerged over what weapons were used.

Three unnamed Western officials told the BBC's US partner, CBS, that the attack was carried out using ballistic missiles, rather than ICBMs.

Much of the footage is being shared widely on Telegram - a messaging app popular in Russia which is known for sharing front-line content.

An unnamed US official says the missile fired at Ukraine overnight was a ballistic missile but not an intercontinental ballistic missile, according to our US partner CBS News.

As we've just reported, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said a Russian missile fired towards Dnipro had the "characteristics" of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Earlier today, the Ukrainian air force said that an ICBM had been launched by Russia.

We're still waiting on an official comment from the US government.

Image source, Zelenskiy Official on Telegram

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says his country was attacked with a "new Russian rocket" and suggests it has the "characteristics" of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

On Telegram, Zelensky writes that "all characteristics - speed, altitude - [indicate it is an] intercontinental ballistic. Examinations are now underway. It is obvious that Putin is using Ukraine as a training ground."

He adds: "Today, our crazy neighbour once again showed what he really is and how he despises dignity, freedom, and people's lives in general. And how afraid he is.

"He is so afraid that he is already using new missiles."

Russia has yet to comment on the allegations that an ICBM was used.

Vitaly Shevchenko
BBC Monitoring

If it's true that Russia has fired an intercontinental ballistic missile at Ukraine, this would be the first time such a missile was used in combat - not just in this war, but in history.

Officials in Moscow have long threatened to respond to sophisticated Western missiles being used against targets in Russia, and this could be the response.

The message to the West would be: we have missiles that can strike anywhere in the world, and they can carry nuclear weapons.

It appears, however, that whatever weapons were used against Dnipro this morning were conventional, rather than nuclear.

And this is key in determining Ukraine's and the West's response - it's likely to be more of what we have seen so far: condemnation and continued drone and missile attacks on Russian territory.

But Moscow's apparent readiness to use a new, longer range and more powerful missile in the war is bad news for Ukraine.

Several hours ago, Ukraine's air force claimed Russia had attacked the country with an intercontinental ballistic missile, in what would be the first use of such a weapon in almost three years of war.

Asked afterwards whether Moscow fired the missile, which can hit targets thousands of kilometres away, Russia's Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters he had "nothing to say on this topic".

There's still a lot that's unclear about the exact nature of this morning's attack, and some media are quoting an unnamed Western official casting doubt on Ukraine's claim, suggesting it was a ballistic missile but not an intercontinental one.

Eyes are turning to Ukraine's staunch ally, the US: as the sun rises on the east coast, officials there may have more to say in the coming hours.

Damian Grammaticas
Political correspondent

UK Defence Secretary John Healey says he "won't be drawn into the operational details" when asked if the government has given permission for Ukraine to use Storm Shadow missiles to strike targets inside Russia.

Healey tells the Commons Defence Committee to "be in no doubt the UK government is stepping up our support for Ukraine, determined to continue doubling down on our support for Ukraine".

He adds: "I won't be drawn on the operational details of the conflict, it risks both the operational security of the conflict and in the end the only one that benefits from such a public debate is President Putin".

What you need to know about intercontinental ballistic missilespublished at 11:03 Greenwich Mean Time 21 November

11:03 GMT 21 November

Chris Partridge
BBC Weapons Analyst

Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles are throwbacks to the Cold War between the then-Soviet Union and the West - when fears of nuclear war dominated military doctrine for a large part of the 20th Century.

ICBMs very much remain in the arsenals of the United States, Russia and a handful of other countries, under an international framework of regulation. ICBMs are strategic weapons in that they are designed to deliver nuclear warheads, but they can also be fitted with conventional explosives too, and travel several thousand kilometres at high speed - making interception difficult.

There is no suggestion any nuclear warhead was used or deployed in today’s incident.

Image source, Russian Defence Ministry

If what the Ukrainian Air Force is saying is actually the case, then this is the first time an ICBM has been launched in anger during a conflict.

There’s no word yet from Moscow, which earlier this week threatened consequences with the use by Ukraine of long-range western-supplied ATACMS missiles and British Storm Shadow cruise missiles inside Russian Federation territory.

It is worth noting that all weapons that go into Ukraine formally become Ukrainian property and operated by the Ukrainian military. But there remain clear conditions of use for fear of conflict escalation.

This two-and-a-half year war has seen a constant barrage of missile and drone attacks on Ukraine, and Kyiv’s movements into the Kursk region of Russia earlier this year took the war to new level.

We have no independent confirmation that an ICBM was fired in this latest attack by Russia, but often debris from exploded weapons appear online soon afterwards and from there it can often be determined what likely weapons were used.

The Hungarian defence minister has announced the country will install an air defence system near its border with Ukraine, citing a "greater than ever" threat of an escalation in the Ukraine-Russia war.

"We still trust that there will be peace as soon as possible, through diplomacy instead of a military solution," Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky said in a video posted to Facebook late Wednesday.

"However, to prepare for all possibilities, I ordered the recently purchased air control and air defence systems and the capabilities built on them to be installed in the northeast," he said.

His comments come after a meeting of Hungary's defence council was convened by Prime Minister Viktor Orban to discuss the developments in Ukraine.

We're now receiving photos of damage from the Russian missile strike on Dnipro early this morning. It is unclear what type of missile caused the damage.

The State Emergency Service of Ukraine has shared photos showing a residential building on fire, and damages to a rehabilitation centre for people with disabilities.

Image source, State Emergency Service of Ukraine

Image source, State Emergency Service of Ukraine

Image source, State Emergency Service of Ukraine

Paul Adams
Diplomatic correspondent, reporting from Dnipro

The city of Dnipro was rocked by a series of explosions which began shortly after five in the morning and lasted for around three hours.

The city is used to the sound of missiles and drones, many of which are intercepted overhead.

If confirmed, this morning’s attack would mark the first time in this war that Russia has fired an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Military sources told the BBC the missile, which has a range of up to six thousand miles and can carry multiple warheads, had been fired from Astrakhan, close to the Caspian Sea.

It's not clear what it hit, although four explosions were heard in the area of a large industrial complex not far from the city centre.

We are hearing again from Serhy Lysak, the regional head of Dnipropetrovsk.

He says that at least 15 people were injured in strikes on Kryvyi Rih this morning.

Two teenagers, aged 16 and 17, are among those injured, he adds. Nine people are being treated in hospital, but their condition is currently unknown.

The Russian Defence Ministry claims that its "air defences shot down two Storm Shadow cruise missiles, made by the UK".

The ministry didn't provide information about when or where the missiles were shot down.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refused to comment on reports that Russia had launched an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile at Ukraine this morning.

An official Defence Ministry statement also did not provide information about the the launch.

The regional head of Dnipro says that two victims were injured following a missile launch by Russia on the Dnipro area this morning.

A 57-year-old man was treated for his injuries on the scene and a 42-year-old woman has been taken to hospital, Serhy Lysak writes on Telegram.

A rehab centre for people with disabilities was damaged in the attack, but there are no reported injuries there. In addition, nine garages are also reported damaged, and an "industrial enterprise", Lysak adds.

Two other people were injured and are currently in hospital after strikes on Kryvyi Rih, west of Dnipro. An administrative building was destroyed and two residential buildings were damaged, according to Lysak.

Image source, Getty Images

Ballistic missiles are capable of travelling thousands of kilometres from the area they are launched.

There are four types of ballistic missiles - short-range, medium-range, intermediate-range and long-range.

Intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) - the category with the longest range - can travel more than 5,500 km (3,418 miles).

That means ICBMs can strike targets virtually anywhere in the world.

ICBMs can transport conventional weapons but also carry nuclear warheads, they are powered by rockets initially and then follow an unpowered trajectory toward their targets.

Ballistic missiles are different from cruise missiles, which travel with the use of jet engines like those used to power planes.

Cruise missiles, like the British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles Ukraine fired at Russia yesterday, travel shorter distances but can be manually guided to their target.

Poland deployed its own fighter jets - and Nato aircraft - to protect its airspace during Russian strikes on Ukraine.

“The on-duty fighter pairs were scrambled, and the ground-based air defence and radar reconnaissance systems reached the highest state of readiness,” the Polish Armed Forces Operational Command wrote on X.

Poland has repeatedly scrambled aircraft during Russian strikes on Ukraine over the course of the war.

Ukraine's air force says that Russia launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from the Astrakhan region during an attack early this morning. The air force says the attack targeted Dnipro, with "various types of missiles."

If confirmed, this would mark the first time that Russia has launched an ICBM towards Ukraine during the conflict. The missiles are capable of travelling thousands of kilometres.

Ukraine's military also says it shot down six Kh-101 cruise missiles during the attack.

This comes days after Washington gave Ukraine the go-ahead to use longer-range missiles such as ATACMS, which Ukraine reportedly used earlier this week to target Russian military bases.

We're restarting our live coverage of the latest developments in Ukraine, so stay with us as we bring you the latest news and analysis.

Some in the UK are worried, others think this is long overduepublished at 21:08 Greenwich Mean Time 20 November

21:08 GMT 20 November

Chris Mason
Political editor

This is undoubtedly a moment, after months of very protracted and public conversation about it.

That very public debate, incidentally, has irritated senior figures in the West, who have felt privately that that has made their decision making harder, risked provoking Russia and given Moscow time to prepare.

But such is the nature of free, western democracies - a vigorous press, a vigorous public debate.

And, in this instance, a wartime leader in President Zelensky of Ukraine making a very public case for the help he needs.

When I interviewed him four months ago, back in July, he was calling for the very thing we are now seeing happen.

It was then a topic of discussion at the White House in September when the prime minister was there to see President Biden.

The UK has long seen itself as “forward facing”, as it was put to me by a senior figure in making the case for this with allies, some of whom were nervous it could escalate the conflict.

While there has been no confirmation from the government in London that Storm Shadow missiles have been used, plenty of MPs interpreted the defence secretary’s answer to a question about it as a tacit ‘yes’ even if that word never passed his lips.

Some here do worry about the implications of this - could Russia respond with a cyber attack, or attacking undersea communication cables, for instance?

But plenty think this is a necessary, even overdue, stepping up of support for a democratic ally continuing to face a pounding from Russia.

We're now ending our live coverage, but our main news story will be across any further developments throughout the night or you can scroll back to our post below to get caught up on everything you missed today.

Jacqueline Howard
Live reporter

Image source, Reuters

One day after firing US-supplied missiles into Russian territory, Ukraine has now also fired long-range missiles supplied by the UK into its enemy's borders. It marks the first time that the British supplied Storm Shadow missiles were fired at targets within Russia.

Much like the previous day's developments, today's news came in the form of off-the-record advice (more on that in our next post).

One official announcement we did hear was earlier in the day from US President Joe Biden, who made a change to his country's weapons policy with Ukraine, approving the use of US-made anti-personnel landmines.

These developments mark a new stage in Ukraine's defence against Russia, which has previously said it will respond "accordingly". Ukraine today accused it of waging "psychological warfare" after reports warned of a massive attack which has yet to materialise.

The US embassy in Kyiv was temporarily closed over such warnings, but it has since resumed services and are telling its citizens to "remain vigilant" and "be prepared to shelter in place if an air alert is announced".

We're soon going to be ending our live coverage for the day, however there's plenty more to read on the matter:

• You can keep across the latest developments on Ukraine firing UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles at Russia for first time
• Listen to our colleagues at Newscast discuss the UK government's policy on Ukraine with former UK defence attaché to Moscow and Kyiv, John Foreman
• Or, explore what Storm Shadow missiles are and why they are crucial for Ukraine