Moscow: The Russian military said on Tuesday that Ukraine fired long-range missiles supplied by the United States at a military facility in the Bryansk border region, in the first attack since Washington authorized the use of its weapons.
The Ministry of Defense said in a statement, “At 03.25 am (0025 GMT), the enemy struck a site in the Bryansk region with six ballistic missiles. According to confirmed data, American-made ATACMS tactical missiles were used.”
Ukraine has been demanding for months that Washington allow it to use longer-range ATACMS missiles to strike sites on Russian territory.
Moscow said the use of Western weapons to attack internationally recognized Russian territory would make the United States a direct participant in the conflict and pledged an “appropriate and concrete response.”
The Russian Defense Ministry said in its statement that its air defenses shot down five missiles, while fragments of a sixth missile fell on an unspecified “military facility,” causing a small fire.
She added that “there were no injuries or damage.”
Ukraine’s foreign minister on Monday hailed allowing missiles to be used for strikes inside Russia as a “potential game-changer” in the nearly three-year-old conflict.