For the first time, Ukraine launches US-made longer-range missiles into Russia.
The attack occurs barely two days after Kyiv was authorised by the Biden administration to employ the American weaponry with a longer range against targets inside Russia.
The report was not immediately answered by Kyiv. The attack demonstrates that Kyiv has not wasted any time in using its recently acquired powers and is the first time Ukraine has utilised the longer-range American weaponry to hit targets deep within Russia.
Ukraine launched six ballistic missiles at a Bryansk site Tuesday at 3:25 a.m. local time (7:25 p.m. ET), according to the ministry. The strike allegedly involved the employment of ATACMS missiles manufactured in the United States.
Five of the missiles were shot down by Russian air defences, while one was damaged. The damaged missile's fragments landed on a military facility's property, starting a fire that has since been put out. There were no damage or casualties.
US President Joe Biden lifted a months-long ban on Ukraine using longer-range American missiles inside Russia on Sunday, allowing Ukraine to defend itself without significantly intensifying the conflict.
At a pivotal point in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the choice was made. In an attempt to take down Ukraine's electricity grid and weaponise the cold weather for a third consecutive winter, Russia is advancing on the frontlines in the east of the country while bombarding its cities with missile and drone strikes.
In the meantime, thousands of North Korean soldiers have been sent to the Kursk area of Russia, where Ukrainian forces bravely counterattacked in the summer.
US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller described North Korea's entry into the battle as "a major escalation by Russia, bringing in an Asian military to a conflict inside Europe" during a news briefing on Monday.
For months, there has been debate about whether to permit the Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, to be used inside Russia. The prudence of permitting the new capability has caused disagreement among U.S. authorities. Some were frightened about the fight getting worse, while others were concerned about the weapons' diminishing supplies.
Moscow has long argued that utilising far-reaching Western weapons would be a significant escalation, despite Kyiv's repeated deployment of Ukrainian-made drones to strike targets in Russia, deeper into the nation than Bryansk.
Two days after Biden's approval, President Vladimir Putin revised Russia's nuclear policy in response to the claimed missile attack early Tuesday morning.
According to the revised doctrine, Moscow will view any non-nuclear state's aggression against Russia as a joint strike if a nuclear-armed nation also participates.
However, Russia has frequently swung the nuclear sabre in response to perceived escalation by Ukraine and its allies during the more than two and a half years of the conflict.
Putin ordered a tactical nuclear weapons rehearsal in reaction to what he described as Western "threats" after French President Emmanuel Macron stated earlier this year that he would not rule out sending European troops to Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, had maintained for months that a crucial component of his "Victory Plan" for winning the conflict was "long-range capabilities for our army."
In response to rumours that Biden had given his approval, Zelensky stated on Sunday night that "words are not used to carry out strikes." These things aren't publicised. Missiles will do the talking.
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