Russia has claimed that Ukraine used a ballistic missile in combat for the first time, potentially marking a new stage in Kyiv’s long-range strike capabilities.Russia’s defense ministry, in its Thursday daily briefing, said its air defenses intercepted a “long-range operational-tactical missile” within the past 24 hours, along with 7 guided aerial bombs and 602 fixed-wing drones, as reported by Bloomberg.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.The ministry did not specify the type of missile or provide additional details, and Kyiv Post is unable to locate the original statement on official Russian channels.Similar claims were echoed by other Russian sources.Russian state news agency Interfax, citing the defense ministry, wrote on Wednesday that a “long-range operational-tactical missile” had been intercepted without specifying the location.Earlier, Russian military blog Voyennyy Osvedomitel (Military Informer) claimed a Ukrainian ballistic missile may have been shot down in the Moscow region during a missile alert on Tuesday.According to Voyennyy Osvedomitel, one of the S-300/S-400 air defense systems protecting the region engaged a target “at a high altitude,” which it said was unusual for a drone or cruise missile. The channel also reported that a large crater was found at the impact site.“It is not excluded that this could have been the interception of a Ukrainian ballistic missile,” the channel wrote.