The escalation of the war in Ukraine has reached peak level, as Ukraine is reported to have launched western missiles at a target inside Russia, a move that can lead to a potential nuclear retaliation by Moscow.
The first Ukrainian strike targeted the border region of Bryansk in Russia, and it comes just as President Vladimir Putin updated the nuclear doctrine greatly expanding the conditions for using atomic weapons.
Ukrainian forces fired six ATACMS missiles at a facility in the Russian Bryansk region, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
Bloomberg reported:
“Ukraine deployed ATACMS missiles to strike a military facility in the western Bryansk region, RBC Ukraine reported on Tuesday, citing an official in the nation’s military. It was the first known attack following the decision by President Joe Biden’s administration to approve Kyiv’s limited use of the weapons to hit targets inside Russia.
Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed a strike on a warehouse in the city of Karachev, detonating ammunition stored at the site some 115 kilometers (71 miles) from the border with Ukraine. Neither the General Staff nor the Defense Ministry would comment on what missiles were used, saying the information is classified.”
Putin’s decree allows Russia to fire nuclear weapons in response to a massive conventional attack on its soil, including by drones.
Aggression against itself by a non-nuclear state with the backing of a nuclear power is now considered as a joint attack.
Kremlin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Russia considers an attack by Kyiv using Western missiles as a strike by a non-nuclear state supported by a nuclear power.
“’The Russian Federation retains the right to use nuclear weapons in the case of aggression using conventional weapons against it’ that poses a critical threat to sovereignty or territorial integrity, Peskov said according to the state-run Tass news service.
The Russian leader has warned the US and its European allies against allowing Ukraine to strike deep inside Russia using Western long-range high-precision weapons, saying this would bring them into direct conflict with his country.”
Ukraine fired its home-made drones deep into Russia for months, but with US missiles, they could hit air bases deep into Russia.
Pray for peace!
Russia’s new nuclear doctrine means NATO missiles fired against our country could be deemed an attack by the bloc on Russia. Russia could retaliate with WMD against Kiev and key NATO facilities, wherever they’re located. That means World War III.
— Dmitry Medvedev (@MedvedevRussiaE) November 19, 2024
⚡️ Russia’s Defence Ministry:
At 3.25 am Ukrainian forces fired 6 US-produced ATACMS missiles at Russia’s Bryansk region.
Five missiles were shot down by S-400 & Pantsir AA systems, one was damaged, its fragments fell in the technical zone of a military facility, causing a fire pic.twitter.com/Pew8n5wbvT
— MFA Russia (@mfa_russia) November 19, 2024
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