Ukraine announces 1st combat use of FP-7 tactical ballistic missile

A 25-year-old pilot, Marat Mambetov, was killed on Thursday in a MiG-29 fighter jet crash in Ukraine, the country's air force said in a statement, reported Xinhua.

The aircraft was hit by a Russian missile while performing a combat mission in a frontline area, according to the air force.

The pilot ejected from the aircraft but did not survive, the statement said.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday announced the first combat use of a domestically developed FP-7 tactical ballistic missile.

"Ukrainian tactical ballistic missile. FP-7. First combat use. Thank you for the result," Zelensky wrote on X, attaching the statement with a video.

Zelensky added that the missile would now move into the production stage.

Developed by Ukrainian company Fire Point, the FP-7 is designed to carry a payload of up to 200 kilograms and strike targets at ranges of up to 250 km.

The ground-launched missile is being developed as a ballistic interceptor for the Freyja program.

Meanwhile, a Russian drone struck the Institute for Nuclear Research of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, which houses the Kiev research reactor WWR-M, Ukrainian authorities said Thursday.

The attack took place at 6:18 p.m. local time (1518 GMT) on Wednesday and caused a fire, but no casualties were reported, the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine (SNRIU) said in a statement.

The reactor itself and its safety-critical systems were not damaged, and no changes in background radiation levels have been detected, the agency said.

According to the SNRIU, the reactor has been shut down since February 2022 to minimize radiation risks and its core has been fully unloaded.

Russian authorities have not yet commented on the incident.