{UAH} FW: IF YOU ARE IN EUROPE AND THIS DOES NOT CONCERN YOU THEN YOU ARE NOT PAYING ATTENTION

Ukraine reportedly uses US long-range missile for first time to blow up Russian weapons facility as Putin issues nuke warning to America

By Emily Crane

Published Nov. 19, 2024, 7:28 a.m. ET

Russia accused Ukraine of firing a barrage of US-made long-range missiles for the first time to attack its Bryansk region Tuesday — in a major escalation on the 1,000th day of war.

Russian air defense systems intercepted five of the missiles and damaged one in the early morning attack, Russian news agencies reported, citing the Russian Defense Ministry.

The debris from one missile fell on a military facility in the region, causing a fire but no widespread damage or casualties, the ministry added.

The strike obliterated a weapons depot near the town of Karachev in the Bryansk region, the Ukrainian military said.Exilenova_plus/e2w

It comes after Ukraine confirmed it had struck a large Russian weapons facility near the town of Karachev, around 70 miles from its border, but stopped short of specifying what missile was used.

However, an unidentified defense source told RBC-Ukraine that it was a US-supplied Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), which lame-duck President Biden recently gave Ukraine permission to use, sparking threats of World War III.AD

“Indeed, for the first time, we used ATACMS to strike Russian territory,” the source said.

“The strike was carried out against a facility in the Bryansk region, and it was successfully hit.”

Footage posted online showed the fiery explosion closely followed by a huge plume of smoke.

The attack was followed by 12 secondary explosions and detonations in the area of the strike, the Ukrainian military’s general staff said in a statement on the Telegram app.

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The strike on the facility was deemed a “successful hit.”east2west news

“The destruction of ammunition depots will continue for the army of the Russian occupiers in order to stop the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine,” the military said.

Ukraine often uses domestically produced drones to hit targets deep inside Russia, but the military hasn’t confirmed what weapon was used on the arsenal in Karachev.

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Ukraine’s use of US long-range missiles has sparked fears of World War III.Getty Images

Earlier, Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces had destroyed 12 Ukrainian drones over the Bryansk region early Tuesday.

The attack came as Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a warning to the United States as he signed a law Tuesday allowing for a nuclear strike in retaliation for a long-range missile attack.

The updated doctrine, which lowers the threshold for a nuclear strike, comes just days after the Biden administration reportedly granted Ukraine permission to use US-supplied weapons to strike deep into Russia’s Kursk region.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a warning to the United States Tuesday after the move to allow Ukraine to use long-range US missiles.Prigranichye Bryansk/e2w

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Sources indicated that Kyiv planned to begin such strikes in the coming days.

Russian lawmakers were quick to slam Washington’s policy reversal in the Ukraine-Russia conflict and accused Biden of recklessness.

“This is a very big step towards the start of World War III,” said Vladimir Dzhabarov, first deputy head of the Russian upper house’s international affairs committee, according to Russia’s Tass news agency.

With Post wires