Ukraine claims it attacked missile system inside Russian territory with Western weapons

(CNN) — Ukrainian forces said on Monday they successfully shot down a Russian S-300 missile system inside Russian territory thanks to the use of weapons supplied by the West.

“It’s on fire. It’s a Russian S-300. On Russian territory. On the first day after permission was granted to use Western weapons on enemy territory,” Ukrainian government minister Iryna Vereshchuk posted on Facebook alongside an image purportedly showing the attack.

It comes just days after US President Joe Biden allowed Ukraine to carry out limited strikes with US weapons on Russian territory around Kharkiv, after several European countries lifted bans on the use of the weapons.

It is unknown whether the weapons used in the attack described by Vereshchuk were supplied by the United States.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised Biden’s decision to allow some attacks on Russian territory as “a step forward” that will help his forces defend the besieged Kharkiv region, though some analysts question whether the new freedoms will significantly strengthen Ukraine’s ability to repel a Russian invasion.

Military analysts have tempered expectations because the United States is firm on not allowing Ukraine to use the most powerful munitions it has been given to fire at Russia: long-range missiles known as ATACMS, which can hit targets up to 300 kilometers away (roughly 200 miles).

Instead, Ukraine can only use short-range missiles known as GMLRS, which have a range of about 70 kilometers (about 40 miles).

While the lifting of this taboo appears to mark a new chapter in the war, Russia has already faced Ukrainian attacks with Western weapons on territory it claims.

Ukraine has frequently used “Storm Shadow” missiles provided by the United Kingdom to attack occupied Crimea, which Russia took over in 2014.

Ukraine also launched attacks on Kharkiv and Kherson in late 2022 as it sought to liberate territories occupied by Russia in the first weeks of the war.