Russia Claims Ukraine Used U.S.-Made Missiles in Strike

Ukraine’s military reported striking ammunition depots in Russia’s Bryansk region on Tuesday in a pre-dawn raid. Moscow claimed the attack was carried out using U.S.-made ballistic missiles, with at least one confirmed as an ATACMS missile, although these reports could not be independently verified. If true, this would mark the first use of the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) against Russian targets.

President Biden had authorized the use of such U.S.-supplied missiles for attacks inside Russia just days earlier, signaling a shift in U.S. policy after years of Ukrainian requests. Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed six ATACMS were launched, with five intercepted and one damaged. The strike caused a fire at a military facility, but no casualties were reported.

The attack coincided with President Vladimir Putin’s announcement that Russia was lowering its threshold for using nuclear weapons, a move seen as a warning to Ukraine and the West in response to the use of long-range missiles on Russian soil.