Ukraine attacked Russian territory with American long-range missiles for the first time. international

The Ukrainian military has once again crossed the Kremlin red line by firing American ATACMS missiles into Russian territory. The attack took place early Tuesday on a military armory in the Bryansk region bordering Ukraine. This has been confirmed by the Russian Defense Ministry, which says that five of these missiles were intercepted and another was damaged. Sources in the Ukrainian Armed Forces have confirmed this information to several Ukrainian media. It marks the first time that Kiev may have used long-range Western missiles to strike inside Russian territory, with the Kremlin hailing the row as a Rubicon to acknowledge United States involvement in the 1,000-year-old war. Had shed light on. Days old on this Tuesday.

“Today, at 3.25 pm, the enemy attacked an installation in the Bryansk region. According to confirmed data, they used American-made ATACMS operational tactical missiles,” the Russian Defense Ministry announced in a statement. “Fragments (of the damaged rocket) fell on the perimeter of a military installation and caused a fire which was immediately extinguished. There are no casualties or damage,” Moscow assured.

Pictures that have emerged from the bombing suggest the devastation may have been far greater than officially indicated by the Russian Defense Ministry. The Russian news channel Astra published on Telegram several photos and videos of the alleged bombing of the facilities of the 67th Arsenal of the Main Directorate of Missiles and Artillery of Russia. The video, which could not be verified, shows intense fire in the dark of night as well as a long series of explosions, reportedly coming from ammunition stored in the armory.

The Ukrainian General Staff has only officially reported that an arsenal in Bryansk was destroyed yesterday morning, without specifying the weapons used. The target is located in Karachev, 130 kilometers from the Ukrainian border and 400 kilometers from Moscow. media net sensorrbc and forbes He has been the first to cite anonymous Ukrainian military sources who may have confirmed this. A spokesman for the General Staff has refrained from confirming or denying EL PAÍS’s information, although other high command sources consulted by this newspaper take it lightly. “These things are not announced. The missiles will speak for them,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on Sunday.

not only in Kursk

The White House on Sunday gave its approval for the use of ATACMS against targets on Russian soil. Joe Biden gave his approval after more than a year of Ukraine’s insistence to overcome the US President’s reluctance due to fears of escalating war with Russia. The American press revealed the news that it would be possible to use these missiles only against targets in the Russian province of Kursk. Ukrainian forces began a partial occupation of the province last August. The Pentagon, according to media such as the new York TimesThe integration of North Korean troops into Russian ranks in this province justified the green light to use this weapon at Kursk.

An attack on the ammunition depot at Bryansk would demonstrate that Washington is not willing to limit operations at Kursk. Ukrainian media are now speculating that the condition was that they would be used only in the border Russian provinces, not beyond that. ATACMS has a range of over 300 kilometers. Another precision missile supplied by the US to Ukraine is the Hymers, which is 80 kilometers long and is already in service against Russian targets in Kursk.

Asked about the attack in the afternoon, Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov replied, “I have no doubt that our forces have the situation under control.” The Kremlin, which claimed to have no data at the time, simultaneously published the presidential order by which the new Russian nuclear doctrine comes into force this Tuesday.

nuclear threat

The document, which contains guidelines for other powers to follow for “nuclear deterrence”, specifies that any attack against Russia by a country that does not possess nuclear weapons, but which is supported by a third state The one who has this arsenal is received. This will be considered a joint attack by both the countries. Putin, whose red lines have been crossed in the past, declared in September that an ATACMS attack “would mean that NATO countries, the US and European countries, are at war with Russia.”

Washington’s authorization of Ukraine to fire ATACMS against Russia could hasten a similar decision by the United Kingdom and France with their long-range Storm Shadow/Scalp weapons, already in possession of the Ukrainian Air Force. Till now they have been used against Russian targets in the occupied areas of Ukraine. Germany has refused to provide its Taurus long-range missiles for fear of provoking a greater military response from Moscow.

Ukraine on Sunday received White House approval for the use of ATACMS on Russian soil with mixed emotions as it was believed that the approval would be limited to Kursk. Military experts consulted by EL PAÍS on Monday highlighted that Biden’s decision comes too late, as Russia has months to move its command centers and key logistics bases beyond the reach of ATACMS. Is.

Ukraine’s dependence on foreign military aid has been one of the most important issues in a new plan presented to parliament this Tuesday by Zelensky to strengthen Ukraine’s national defense. The Ukrainian leader has assured that the country’s defense industry should be able to manufacture 3,000 cruise missiles, develop its own ballistic missiles and produce 30,000 drones annually.

There is a risk for Kiev that Donald Trump will reverse military assistance, including the transfer of ATACMS, if he assumes the US presidency in January. The Republican aim is to force Ukraine to negotiate an end to the war as soon as possible, even if it means giving up territory. The president-elect’s son Donald Trump Jr. on Sunday called those responsible in the White House “fools” for allowing the use of ATACMS in Russia and warned it was a step toward World War III. Michael Waltz, Trump’s pick to be his next national security adviser, also criticized Biden’s approval because he believes it increases global war tensions.