Russia says Ukraine fired long-range missiles supplied by the US into the country, a day after Washington gave its approval for such an attack.
Ukraine used the Army Tactical Missile System (Atacms) in a strike in the Bryansk region this morning, Moscow’s defense minister said.
Five missiles were fired and one was injured, fragments of which caused a fire at a military base in the region, it said.
The strike marks the first time long-range missiles have been used on Russia’s internationally-recognised territory after Washington indicated Ukraine had permission to do so. Russia has vowed to “act accordingly.”
On Tuesday, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia would “proceed with the understanding” that the missiles were operated by “American military experts”.
“We will take this as the new face of the West’s war with Russia and we will respond appropriately,” he told a press conference at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro.
Moscow said on Monday that any strikes inside its territory by US missiles would trigger “a proper and practical answer”.
Ukraine has already been using Atacms in Russian-controlled areas on its territory for more than a year.
The missiles can hit targets up to 300km (186 miles) away and are difficult to intercept.
Kyiv is now able to strike deeper into Russia using missiles, including the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces control more than 1,000 sq km of territory. Ukrainian and US officials are reportedly expecting an attack in the region.
In a statement, the Russian Defense Ministry said the strike began at 03:25 (00:25 GMT).
The fire caused by debris that fell from one of the missiles was quickly extinguished and there were no casualties, he said.
The Ukrainian military previously confirmed that it had hit an ammunition depot in the Russian region of Bryansk, but did not specify whether Atacms were used.
It said the attack, on a warehouse about 100 kilometers from the border near the city of Karachev, caused 12 explosions.
Meanwhile, earlier on Tuesday, Putin approved changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine, setting new conditions under which the country would consider using its weapons.
Now it says that an attack from a non-nuclear country, if backed by nuclear power, would be considered a joint attack on Russia.
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