Ukraine fires US-supplied long-range missiles into Russia: Reports

Ukraine has fired US-supplied long-range missiles at Russian territory for the first time since Washington permitted Kyiv to conduct such attacks, media reports said.

Ukraine hit a Russian weapons arsenal with US-made ATACMS missiles that it fired across the border for the first time, two US officials told CNN.

As per a CNN report, Russia’s Defence Ministry said Ukraine had fired six ballistic missiles at a facility in Bryansk at 3:25 a.m. local time (7:25 p.m. ET) Tuesday and that ATACMS missiles had been used in the attack.

It is the first time Ukraine used longer-range American weapons to strike targets deep inside Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not confirm striking Russia with the ATACMS missiles.

During a press conference on Tuesday, the Ukrainian President was quoted as saying by CNN: “Ukraine has long-range capabilities. Ukraine has long-range drones of its own production. We now have a long ‘Neptune’ (Ukrainian cruise missiles) and not just one. And now we have ATACMS. And we will use all of this.”

The US has not officially commented on the strikes so far.

US President Joe Biden recently authorised Ukraine long-range American missiles inside Russia.

Marking 1,000 days since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of the country, a senior UN official on Tuesday said the international community must continue to show solidarity with Ukraine.

Conflict erupted in Ukraine over a decade ago following Russia’s occupation of Crimea in the east and escalated on 24 February 2022 with the full-scale assault on the country.

The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, detailed the death and destruction that has occurred since then.

More than 39,000 civilians have been killed or injured, and over 3,400 schools and hospitals have been damaged or destroyed, while 10 million people have fled their homes.

“These are not just numbers; each one of them represents countless stories of individual unimaginable pain for the people of Ukraine,” he said.

Meanwhile, 1,000 days of war have left more than 14.6 million Ukrainians in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, including 3.5 million displaced within the country, said Amy Pope, Director General of UN migration agency, IOM.

“As winter arrives, the persistent attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure – decimating 65 per cent of the country’s generation capacity – have left communities struggling without adequate electricity, heating, or water,” she said

“This is a matter of survival for millions of people and requires the international community to stand together in solidarity.”