MOSCOW: The Russian military said Tuesday that Ukraine fired long-range missiles supplied by the United States at a military facility in the Bryansk border region, in what would be the first attack since Washington authorized the use of its weapons.
“At 03:25 (00:25 GMT), the enemy attacked a location in the Bryansk region with six ballistic missiles. According to confirmed data, American-made ATACMS tactical missiles were used,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement. .
Ukraine had been demanding for months that Washington allow it to use the longer-range ATACMS missiles to attack sites on Russian territory.
Moscow has said that using Western weapons to attack Russia's internationally recognized territory would make the United States a direct participant in the conflict and promised an “appropriate and palpable response.”
In its statement, Russia's Defense Ministry said five missiles were shot down by its air defenses, while fragments of a sixth fell on an unspecified “military facility,” causing a small fire.
“There were no casualties or damage,” he said.
Ukraine's foreign minister on Monday hailed permission to use missiles in attacks inside Russia as a potential “game changer” in the nearly three-year conflict.
