Ukraine fires US-made long-range missiles into Russia

CNN
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Ukraine has fired American made ATACMS missiles into Russia’s Bryansk region, Russia’s Defense Ministry said, in a major escalation of the 1,000. war day

The attack comes just two days after the Biden administration gave Kyiv the go-ahead to use the longer-range US weapons against targets inside Russia.

Kiev did not immediately respond to the report. The attack would mark the first time Ukraine has used the longer-range US weapons to attack targets deep inside Russia, and shows that Kiev has wasted little time making use of its newly granted powers.

At 3:25 a.m. local time (7:25 p.m. ET) on Tuesday, Ukraine fired six ballistic missiles at a facility in Bryansk, the ministry said. It said US-made ATACMS missiles had been used in the attack.

Russian air defenses shot down five of the missiles and another was damaged. Fragments from the damaged missile fell on the territory of a military installation and caused a fire that has since been extinguished. There were no injuries or damage.

On Sunday, US President Joe Biden authorized Ukraine to use long-range US missiles inside Russia, ending a months-long ban aimed at helping Ukraine defend itself without drastically escalating the conflict.

The decision came at a crucial time in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia is probing the front lines in Ukraine’s east as it assaults its cities with missile and drone strikes aimed at disabling Ukraine’s power grid and weaponizing freezing temperatures for a third straight winter.

Meanwhile, thousands of North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukrainian troops launched a bold counteroffensive this summer.

The decision to allow the use of Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, inside Russia had been under consideration for months. US officials had been divided over the wisdom of allowing the new capability. Some worried about escalating the war, while others worried about dwindling stockpiles of weapons.

After the reported missile attack early Tuesday morning, President Vladimir Putin updated Russia’s nuclear doctrine — just two days after Biden’s green light.

Under the updated doctrine, Moscow would consider aggression by any non-nuclear state – but with the participation of a nuclear country – a joint attack on Russia.

This story and headline have been updated with additional developments.