The Russian military said Ukraine fired US-supplied long-range missiles at a military site in the border region of Bryansk. It was the first such attack since Washington authorised the use of its weapons, AFP reported.
"At 03:25, the enemy struck a site in the Bryansk region with six ballistic missiles. According to confirmed data, US-made ATACMS tactical missiles were used," the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
For months, Ukraine has been asking Washington to allow it to use longer-range ATACMS missiles to strike sites on Russian territory.
Moscow argues that using Western weapons to attack Russia's internationally recognized territory would make the United States a direct participant in the conflict. The Kremlin has promised an "appropriate and tangible response."
In its statement, Russia's defence ministry said five missiles had been shot down by its air defences and fragments of a sixth had fallen on an unspecified "military site" and caused a small fire.
"There were no casualties or damage," it said.
On 18 November, Ukraine's foreign minister hailed the permission to use the missiles to strike Russian territory as a potential "game changer" in the nearly three-year-old conflict. | BGNES
