Moscow claims Ukrainian forces took advantage of President Joe Biden’s “green light” to launch six US ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile Systems) into Russian territory on Tuesday, FoxNews reports.
Russia said it shot down five missiles and damaged the sixth. It added that the debris fell near a Russian military facility, but there were no casualties or damage other than a small fire.
Ukraine did not immediately confirm the use of ATACMS on Tuesday, but officials did announce an attack on a military facility in Russia’s Bryansk region, the same region where Moscow said the missiles fell.
The attack came just two days after President Biden authorised Ukraine to use US long-range missiles on Russian territory, which Russian President Putin said would be an act of war.
The statement came after Britain and France authorised Ukraine to launch SCALP/Storm Shadow missile strikes, according to French publication Le Figaro.
Putin has previously said that Ukraine’s authorisation to use the missiles effectively means that the US and NATO are “engaged in a war.” Putin said in September:
“Flight assignments for these missile systems can, in fact, only be entered by military personnel from NATO countries. Ukrainian servicemen cannot do this. And therefore, it is not a question of allowing the Ukrainian regime to strike Russia with these weapons or not. It is a question of making a decision whether NATO countries directly participate in the military conflict or not.”Â
He also added:
“If this decision is made, it will mean nothing less than the direct participation of NATO countries, the United States, and European countries, in the war in Ukraine.”
Meanwhile, President-elect Trump’ s transition team is expected to soon announce the appointment of a peace envoy to help negotiate the military conflict in Ukraine. During the campaign, Trump claimed he could resolve the conflict before he took office.
