Ukraine Strikes Russian Military Base With American Long-Range Missiles; Will Putin Hit Back?

Moscow: Russia’s Defence ministry said on Tuesday that Ukraine fired US-supplied long-range missiles at a military facility in the Bryansk border region.

Coming as it did on the 1,000th day of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, it was the first such offensive after President Joe Biden eased restrictions on the use of American-made weapons in the war.

Six ballistic ATACMS missiles were used in the attack.

“At 03:25 am (0025 GMT), the enemy struck a site in the Bryansk region with six ballistic missiles. According to confirmed data, US-made ATACMS tactical missiles were used,” Russian state news agencies quoted Defence ministry in a statement.

Russia also said that five of the missiles were intercepted by its air defences, while fragments from a sixth missile fell on an unspecified military facility, causing a small fire.

Despite no casualty or damage being reported by Russia, this is a major escalation in the nearly two-year-old war.

A strong retaliation by Russia is expected.

Moscow had warned that the use of Western weapons to target Russian territory would make the United States a direct participant in the conflict and vowed an “appropriate and palpable response.”

Putin already signed a revised nuclear doctrine earlier in the day, declaring that a conventional attack on Russia by any nation that is supported by a nuclear power will be considered a joint attack on his country.

Ukraine, on the other hand, described the US move as a potential “game changer” in the ongoing conflict.