Russia’s use of a nuclear-capable ballistic missile marks a decisive, and potentially dangerous moment in Moscow’s conflict with the West.

Putin is the primary decision-maker on the use of Russia's nuclear arsenal. The doctrine said any attack by a non-nuclear power supported by a nuclear power would be considered a joint attack, and that any attack by one member of a military bloc would be considered an attack by the entire alliance, it said.

The attack with an intermediate-range ballistic missile has spurred fears of a major escalation in the ongoing war and prompted Ukraine to request new air defenses.

The Russian missile that struck the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Thursday reached a top speed of more than 13,000 kph (8,000 mph) and took about 15 minutes to reach its target from its launch, Ukraine said on Friday in its first public assessment of the new weapon.

Russia's new intermediate-range ballistic missile has NATO members on edge after the missiles were used in a strike on Ukraine early Thursday morning.

Tensions in Ukraine spike after Russia fires a new hypersonic missile at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. With less than two months before President-elect Donald Trump takes office, the fate of vital U.S.