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CHILLING footage shows what is thought to be the first ever use of an intercontinental ballistic missile in war – as part of Russia’s revenge attack on Ukraine.

Video showed rockets raining down on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro – reportedly six different warheads from a nuclear-capable Russian R-26 Rubezh ICBM.

Est2west news

Chilling footage showed missiles raining down on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro[/caption]

Est2west news

It claimed to show an R-26 Rubezh ICBM dropping six separate warheads on the Yuzhmash defence plant in Dnipro[/caption]

East2West

Explosions ring out in Dnipro during the Russian attack[/caption]

Reports say it was fired from the Kapustin Yar test range in Russia’s Astrakhan region and struck the Yuzhmash defence plant in Dnipro.

The outdated R-26 Rubezh had never – until now – been used in anger.

It was designed to carry a deadly nuclear payload but appears to have been used for a conventional rocket attack in the early hours of this morning.

If the use of the Rubezh is confirmed, some analysts have said it will be the first combat use of an ICBM in history.

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky said Dnipro was hit today by a “new Russian rocket”.

Referring to the suspected intercontinental ballistic missile blast, he said: “Today, our crazy neighbour once again showed what he really is and how he despises dignity, freedom, and people’s lives in general.”

The giant attack on Dnipro was part of a savage response by Russia to Ukraine’s double-tap long-range missiles strikes this week.

Kyiv launched US ATACMS missiles against Putin’s territory overnight on Monday – and British Storm Shadow rockets on Wednesday.

Russia warned it would “react accordingly” as embassies in capital city Kyiv closed down yesterday in fear of a revenge blitz.

Putin’s forces this morning launched an RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

The Kremlin also dispatched Tu-95MS strategic bombers to launch cruise missiles against embattled Ukraine.

Kyiv’s air force confirmed the ballistic weapon had been launched from Astrakhan, in southern Russia.

Nato scrambled F-16 warplanes above Poland amid the barrage – putting air defence and radar systems on high alert.

Unverified footage appeared to show an explosion and a fire in multiple spots across the country.

Pictures showed a house in Dnipro on fire with emergency services at the scene.

The regions of Kremenchuk and Myrhorod were also bombarded. 

Meanwhile in a bizarre moment captured on camera, Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova was told halfway through a press briefing not to comment on the suspected ICBM strike.

She could be seen answering a call in the middle of the televised conference.

The conversation was overheard via her mic – with a presumably senior diplomat saying: “Masha [Maria], ballistic missile strikes on Yuzhmash [defence plant in Dnipro].

“The Westerners are talking about it now. Don’t comment at all.”

She also slammed the opening of a new US ballistic missile defence base in Redzikowo, a village in Poland.

Zakharova said it had been added to a “list of priority targets for potential destruction which, if necessary, can be executed with a wide range of advanced weapons”.

Moscow warned for months that the use of Western long-range missiles by Ukraine would mark a major escalation.

In September, a snarling Putin said it would “mean that Nato countries are at war with Russia”.

On Tuesday a rattled Putin green-lit a new nuclear doctrine just hours after Ukraine’s ATACMS strike, in retaliation to the US relaxing their missile permissions.

President Joe Biden had on Sunday approved a decision that allowed Ukraine to fire the American rockets inside Russia.

The Kremlin said it marked the crossing of a red line – officially putting nuclear retaliation on the table.

Putin’s propagandist puppets blasted threats against the US and UK on TV – with top Kremlin lap-dog Dmitry Peskov swearing that the use of Western non-nuclear missiles by Ukraine’s armies could spark a nuclear response.

Ukraine used the ATACMS rockets to hit a military depot in Bryansk – marking a major development on day 1000 of the brutal war.

Footage last night revealed the moment Ukraine reportedly fired Storm Shadow rockets inside Russia for the first time.

The unverified video showed a resident in Kursk pointing at the sky before loud booms are heard in the background.

Meanwhile other aerial footage purporting to show the strike captured rockets exploding a site in Kursk with an underground control room, Ukrainian defence experts said.

Giant plumes of smoke could be seen billowing from the site, before an orange fireball engulfed the building.

Reports suggest the attack targeted a location where North Korean generals could have been present alongside senior Russian military leaders.

Russia’s defence ministry was forced to admit on Thursday that at least two of the Storm Shadow rockets had been fired by Ukraine.

It claimed two of them were shot down.

Fragments of the bunker-busting rockets were found in the village of Marine, Kursk, on Wednesday.

Up to 12 missiles were launched by a Ukrainian aircraft, according to reports.

Britain’s Storm Shadow missiles are a nightmare for enemies as they are capable of dodging air defences.

The £800,000 weapons – which were already being fired within Ukraine – use GPS to precisely hit targets, and can travel at 600mph.

MOLLY-MAE Hague has given her one-word response to best mate Maura Higgins’ I’m A Celeb stint.

The campmate’s Love Island co-star, 25, gave her take as she commented on a video showing Maura, 33, arriving in Australia.

Instagram

Molly-Mae Hague has issued a one-word reaction to best pal Maura Higgins’ I’m A Celeb stint[/caption]

Rex Features

The duo met on ITV2 reality series, Love Island[/caption]

instagram

Molly commented ‘Queen’ on Maura’s last social media post before she embarks on jungle life[/caption]

Maura, 33, is a late arrival into the I’m A Celeb camp, along with the Reverend Richard Coles, 62.

The duo will join the likes of Coleen Rooney, Barry McGuigan and Danny Jones in Ant and Dec’s jungle camp a week into this year’s star-spangled series. 

Yet initially the duo will have their own private base – and a secret mission – before heading into the main compound Down Under.

Glow Up Ireland anchor Maura told how her manager would be looking after her social media while she was in jungle “hell” in her short clip.

Underneath, Molly-Mae simply commented: “QUEEN,” in block capital letters.

At the time of writing, the remark has garnered almost 2,000 likes and Maura was quick to reply with a red love heart Emoji.

One fan then commented: “One of the best friendships to come from Love Island!

“Love how you two always supports each other.”

Another then added: “My girls.”

Maebe fashion brand founder Molly-Mae recently opened up on the pair’s lengthy friendship.

In one of her YouTube vlogs, filmed at the Cove Club in Dubai, Molly-Mae told her followers: “Fun fact, this is the beach club in which I first saw Maura before we even knew who each other were.

“Then when she came on the show [Love Island] I was like ‘I recognise you. I saw you at Cove Beach Club’ and she was like: ‘Oh my gosh, I saw you too! I recognise you as well’.”

Last year, Filter owner Molly-Mae shared a sweet glimpse of Maura meeting her baby Bambi, now aged one.

CAMP LIFE

Yet away from home comforts and best mates, some have expressed fears about Maura’s jungle chances.

It came after she admitted she was “not well” when she touched down.

Yet The Sun exclusively revealed former 2009 campmate Kim Woodburn’s fear Maura will be first to pull out.

Kim, 82, also thinks that like many stars who compete on the popular ITV show, Maura’s motivation for entering the jungle is for monetary reasons.

In an interview hosted by WhichBingo.co.uk, she told The Sun: “Maura Higgins is a very beautiful girl.

“I’ve never met the young lady. She’s entertaining. She’s very beautiful. You don’t know anything about her.

“I’d like to think she’ll do trials. She looks delicate. We can never tell you know, you can never tell, good luck to her.”

“And if she’s she’s been paid a lump sum to go in. They all go in for the money, but they deny it,” she added to The Sun.

She added: “But you see the trouble with that is, many of them go in for the money.

“Take the money. She’s dainty and tiny and fragile. Let us see her doing the trials, marvellous. Good luck to her.”

Last week, Maura was spotted living it up in Las Vegas on a swanky brand trip – sparking suggestions she had already quit the ITV show.

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The duo have remained close following their Love Island stint[/caption]

ITV

It came after fans feared she had quit before she had even stepped foot in camp[/caption]

ITV

Maura confessed she was ‘not well’ after touching down in Australia[/caption]

San Jose-based tech giant said that the outage "may be affecting multiple products in our Production environment."

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Manchest

Гикавка — мимовільний і різкий спазм діафрагми і органів дихання — найчастіше виникає несподівано і дуже не вчасно, а перевіреного способу впоратися з нею досі не придумали. Найчастіше гикавка проходить сама собою через нетривалий відрізок часу, однак іноді він затягується або напади трапляються дуже часто. На жаль, в деяких випадках почастішали напади гикавки можуть бути […]

Зима в Україні – це не лише сніг та мороз, а й додаткові виклики для водіїв. Окрім складнощів на дорогах, зимовий період вимагає особливої уваги до паркування автомобіля. Експерти називають два місця, де залишати машину взимку категорично не рекомендується, інформує Аvtopilot. 1. Під дахами будівель Паркування під дахами будівель взимку може бути небезпечним через утворення бурульок та […]

Окупанти масовано атакували Дніпро ракетами різних типів. Є поранені та значні руйнування Про це йдеться в повідомленні пресслужби ДСНС регіону, передає Хронікерс. За даними вогнеборців, у місті через ракетну атаку пошкоджено будівлю центру реабілітації для людей з інвалідністю. Частково зруйновано котельню, вибито вікна. Виникла пожежа у двоповерховому житловому будинку на території приватного сектору. Горів дах […]

AN awe-inspiring discovery of the oldest known alphabet has been found in a tomb by a group of archaeologists.

The ancient writing was found on several clay cylinders, each the length of a finger, in Syria.

Glenn Schwartz, Johns Hopkins University

Archaeologists discovered the clay cylinders in Syria during a 16-year excavation[/caption]

Glenn Schwartz, Johns Hopkins University

A perfectly preserved tomb was located by researchers containing unbroken pottery, six skeletons, four clay cylinders, and a spearhead[/caption]

Experts from the Johns Hopkins University in the US believe it dates back to 2400 BC.

This would make the writings around 500 years older than other known alphabetic scripts.

Researchers are due to present the discovery at the American Society of Overseas Research on Thursday.

Archaeologist Glenn Schwartz who orchestrated the discovery has detailed just what the new find means about what we have believed about the beginnings of the alphabet and its evolution.

It also alters our beliefs of former civilisations and the point when language became more mainstream and not simply reserved for royalty and the upper class.

Schwartz said: “Alphabetic writing changed the way people lived, how they thought, how they communicated.

“This new discovery shows that people were experimenting with new communication technologies much earlier and in a different location than we had imagined before now.”

The archaeologist explained how it was previously believed that the alphabet was created in Egypt after 1900 BCE.

But, the new find in Syria which is older and from another location “suggest the alphabet have an entirely different origin story than we thought,” he said.

The writings were found in Tell Umm-el Marra where Schwartz and his colleagues have been working on a 16-year excavation.

They are researching how early urban areas developed in western Syria.

During the dig, they came across several well-preserved tombs from the Early Bronze Age dating between 3500 and 2000 BC.

It was in one of these tombs that the etched cylinders were found alongside six skeletons, gold and silver jewellery, unbroken pottery and cookware, and a spearhead.

But, despite the amazing findings, researchers are unable to read what is written on the four cylinders.

They suspect it is possibly a label that had previously been attached to what it was describing.

Schwartz said: “Maybe they detail the contents of a vessel, or maybe where the vessel came from, or who it belonged to.

“Without a means to translate the writing, we can only speculate.”

The date of the clay cylinders was determined by researchers who used carbon dating technology.

This scientific method has been used on several ancient artefacts to determine the age of organic materials including the Shroud of Turin, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the extinction of the woolly mammoth.

Researchers measure the amount of Carbon-14 remaining in the material to determine age.

Another recent discovery also features old inscriptions on an ancient amulet.

Archaeologists found the fifth-century pendant in Turkey this week but an examination of its inscription revealed a dark side to the find.

Glenn Schwartz, Johns Hopkins University

Glenn Schwarz who led the dig has revealed how the find has altered our beliefs about the origin and location of the alphabet[/caption]

A MAN says he woke up thinking he had a cold before being rushed to hospital with a flesh-eating bug that ravaged his bum and left him perilously close to dying.

Simon English, 55, thought he’d picked up a virus from his wife, Kay, 55, who works as a teaching assistant.

SWNS

Simon English, 55, thought he’d picked up a cold from his wife Kay, 55[/caption]

SWNS

SWNS

But as the hours went by, his symptoms – a fever, cough and fatigue – got worse.

By the following day, he knew “something wasn’t right” and took himself to hospital.

Doctors diagnosed Simon with necrotising fasciitis – a bacterial infection that results in the death of parts of the body’s soft tissue – leaving him in ICU for three months.

Now, after two skin grafts on his left buttock and temporary stoma surgery, he says he’s slowly getting back to normal.

Simon, a retired fireman, from Beverley, Yorkshire, said: “It’s quite scary when you think about this bug, really – I now look like a shark’s taken a bite out of my a**e.

“I ended up looking like I was about 70 years old, after lying in bed for weeks.

“My nurse told me if I’d left it any longer before going to hospital, I wouldn’t be here now.

“I came so close to dying.”

On the morning of March 26, Simon woke up with flu-like symptoms.

Kay, who works in a school, was “always picking illnesses up” – and had a cold herself, leading Simon to think he was suffering the same symptoms.

He says he felt floored by the “cold” – but put it down to “rarely getting ill” himself.

“I just felt like I was coming down with a heavy cold,” he said.

“I’m one of those people where I just never get ill – or rarely.

“My wife was suffering as well, there’s always something going around at school.”

SWNS

Simon doesn’t remember much from his time in the ICU[/caption]

SWNS

He underwent four operations to curb the infection on his buttock – pictured here before the grafts[/caption]

SWNS

Simon’s skin after the first skin graft on his left buttock, which didn’t take[/caption]

But the following morning, Simon felt “shocking”.

His symptoms had become worse – even though it still felt to Simon like a bad flu.

He took himself to A&E – where he was admitted immediately after being triaged.

“The next two weeks are so blurry,” Simon said.

The surgeon did say of all places to get it – you’d want it on your buttock so it’s out-of-sight

Simon English

“I just can’t remember what happened.

“They gave me a lot of morphine – I hallucinated a lot.

“And then, when I came round two weeks later, a doctor told me I had a condition called necrotising fasciitis.”

According to the NHS, necrotising fasciitis, also known as the “flesh-eating disease” is a rare and life-threatening infection which starts in a wound.

The mortality rate for the infection is high – and Simon says his doctor told him that “one in five patients don’t make it”.

Within the two-week period Simon was on morphine, he was told he’d been rushed for emergency surgery to debride – or cut out – the infection on his left buttock.

“I had four operations to fully debride it,” he said.

“They dressed it, and sent me back to the ICU.”

Long recovery

Around four to five days after he came to, Simon was sent for a skin graft on his buttock – with skin taken from his right leg.

His body rejected the first graft – but the second one “stuck” and a two-month-long rehabilitation period in hospital began.

Simon said: “I had to walk around the hospital with a walking frame.

“I was in hospital for a further two months, to allow the wound to heal.”

The infection was so severe, Simon even had an emergency colostomy to allow his wound to heal properly.

He’s still waiting to hear when the reversal procedure will be done.

SWNS

SWNS

Simon also had a temporary stoma bag fitted[/caption]

SWNS

He was told he’s lucky to be alive[/caption]

After being discharged from hospital in June, the retiree is slowly getting back to “normal” life.

He’s hoping to go back to working as a volunteer gardener very soon.

“Apart from my stoma, I’m all healed up,” he said.

“My wound has totally healed – although it looks a bit funny, because of my skin graft.

“The surgeon did say of all places to get it – you’d want it on your buttock so it’s out-of-sight.

“I’ve started doing a few little handyman jobs here and there, and I would like to get back to being a part-time gardener.

“I’m hoping to hear about my stoma reversal surgery in the next eight weeks.”

SWNS