'Don't Comment': Did Russian Spokesperson Receive Call During LIVE Presser to Dodge ICBM Question?

New Delhi: In a recent press conference, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova reportedly received a phone call from senior authorities instructing her not to comment on Moscow's alleged launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) during a strike on Ukraine.

A purported video of incident, which has since gone viral, appears to capture Zakharova mid-conference as she listens to instructions. According to reports, caller explicitly told her to avoid discussing missile strike, allegedly saying, “Masha, don't comment at all on ballistic missile strike on Yuzhmash, as Westerners started talking about it.”

Ukraine claimed Thursday that Russia launched an intercontinental ballistic missile overnight at a city. If confirmed, it would be first time Moscow has used such a weapon in war. Ukraine did not provide any evidence that an ICBM was used in attack on central city of Dnipro, apparently armed with conventional warhes.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a missile used “matches speed and altitude” of an ICBM. Kremlin refused to comment on strike.

attack comes in a week when tensions have repeatedly soared, as U.S. eased restrictions on Ukraine's use of American-me longer-range missiles inside Russia and Kremlin lowered its threshold for launching nuclear weapons.

range of an ICBM — which can exceed 5,500 kilometres (3,400 miles) — is beyond what is needed to attack Ukraine. But such missiles are designed to carry atomic warhes, and use of one, even with a conventional paylo, would serve as a chilling reminder of Russia’s nuclear capability and a powerful message of potential escalation.

In a statement Thursday on Telegram messaging app, Ukraine's Air Force said an intercontinental ballistic missile was fired at Dnipro, along with eight or missiles, and that Ukrainian military shot down six of m.

Two people were wounded in attack, and an industrial facility and a rehabilitation centre for people with disabilities were damaged, according to local officials.

Air Force statement did not specify exact of ICBM but said it was launched from Russia’s Astrakhan region, on Caspian Sea.