Russia reports first use of US-supplied long-range missiles by Ukraine on its territory

The Russian government stated that Ukraine has, for the initial time, launched US-supplied longer-range missiles into Russian territory. This announcement came a day after Washington authorized such strikes. US officials additionally verified the deployment of the Army Tactical Missile System (Atacms) to CBS news, which is the BBC’s US partner. Ukraine has refrained from making a statement. According to Russia’s defence ministry, the attack occurred in the Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine to the north, during Tuesday morning. The ministry reported that five missiles were intercepted, while one caused damage, with its debris igniting a fire at a military installation. However, two US officials indicated that preliminary assessments suggested Russia had intercepted only two missiles from approximately eight launched by Ukraine. The BBC has been unable to independently confirm these conflicting numbers. Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s Foreign Minister, alleged that Washington was attempting to intensify the conflict. He stated, “That Atacms was used repeatedly overnight against Bryansk Region is of course a signal that they [the US] want escalation.” He further added, “And without the Americans, use of these high-tech missiles, as [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has said many times, is impossible.” Lavrov asserted that Russia would “proceed from the understanding” that “American military experts” were operating these missiles. He declared at a G20 press conference in Rio de Janeiro, “We will be taking this as a renewed face of the Western war against Russia and we will react accordingly.” Earlier on Tuesday, the Kremlin endorsed revisions to Russia’s nuclear doctrine, outlining new circumstances under which the nation would contemplate deploying its nuclear arsenal. The updated doctrine now specifies that an attack originating from a non-nuclear state, if supported by a nuclear power, will be regarded as a combined assault on Russia. In response to these modifications, US state department spokesperson Matthew Miller commented, “Since the beginning of its war of aggression against Ukraine, [Russia] has sought to coerce and intimidate both Ukraine and other countries around the world through irresponsible nuclear rhetoric and behaviour.” He also noted that the US had not “seen any reason” to alter its own nuclear posture, but would “continue to call on Russia to stop bellicose and irresponsible rhetoric.” UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer similarly characterized the development as “irresponsible rhetoric,” stating that it was “not going to deter our support for Ukraine.” Ukraine has previously employed Atacms within Russian-occupied areas of its own country for over a year. These missiles possess the capability to strike targets up to 300km (186 miles) away and are challenging to intercept. Kyiv can now target locations further inside Russia with these missiles, including areas near the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces control more than 1,000 sq km of land. Reports from Ukrainian and US officials suggest an anticipated counter-offensive in this region. Russia’s defence ministry issued a statement indicating the strike commenced at 03:25 (00:25 GMT). The ministry reported that a fire resulting from debris of one missile was rapidly put out, and no casualties occurred. Ukraine’s military had earlier confirmed an attack on an ammunition warehouse in Russia’s Bryansk region, though it did not specify if Atacms were utilized. It stated that the assault, targeting a depot approximately 100km from the border near the town of Karachev, resulted in 12 secondary explosions.