The Ukrainian military has launched multiple US-made tactical ballistic missiles at Russia’s Bryansk Region, some of which have been intercepted, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday. The major escalation came at the back of President Vladimir Putin’s dire warning to the West and Ukraine, that Russia has revised its nuclear strategy and it would take any Western nations-backed attack on its territory as a joint operation. The Ukraine-Russia conflict is sure to broaden now, as Ukraine decides to test Moscow’s resolve.
Putin lays out Russia’s red line to trigger Nuclear response
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had advised foreign nations to study the revised policy in detail, clearly referring to Ukraine and its Western allies. “It was necessary to bring our principles in line with the current situation,” he said, calling the update a “very important” document. “Foreign leaders should carefully study Russia’s new nuclear doctrine”, Peskov said, after President Vladimir Putin formally authorized the document. Russia “has always viewed nuclear weapons as a means of deterrence,” he said, adding that they would only be deployed if Russia was forced to respond.
Under Biden, the US administration has provided over $64 billion worth of weapons, ammunition, and equipment to Ukraine to support Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s war against Russia. Washington placed certain restrictions on the use of such weapons, and Zelensky has spent months demanding the lifting of the limitations.
The Foreign Ministry reiterated President Vladimir Putin’s earlier warnings regarding Western nations potentially providing Ukraine with long-range weapons. Putin had stated that any move to arm Kyiv with such capabilities would force Moscow to make “appropriate decisions based on the threats presented to us.” Moscow has also indicated that such an escalation will not go unanswered, warning that it would not stand idly by: “In this case, Russia’s response will be adequate and tangible.”
Russia has repeatedly warned the US and its allies that any such move would amount to their open involvement in the hostilities. Russian President Vladimir Putin has pointed out that Kyiv lacks the capability to use long-range missiles without NATO satellites and military personnel to develop targeting and firing solutions. It was not a matter of the US “giving permission” to Ukraine, but crossing the threshold of direct involvement, Putin told reporters in September.
Ukraine’s Missile Attack
According to a statement by the Russian Defence Ministry, Ukraine fired six long-range ballistic missiles identified as ATACMS early on Tuesday morning. Five of them were intercepted with the S-400 and Pantsir air defense systems of Russia, while another one was damaged and hit the ground at a Russian military site in the Bryansk Region, causing a fire that was dealt with. The Russian military claimed that no damage was inflicted in the incident.
Ukrainian media earlier reported that Kyiv had fired ATACMS missiles into internationally recognized Russian territory for the first time during the conflict. The attack targeted an ammunition depot in Bryansk Region, the reports claimed. News outlets released apparent footage of the launch. Military officials in Kyiv would not immediately confirm the reports. The region under attack is Bryansk which is located in western Russia and borders Ukraine and Belarus.
US President Joe Biden had reportedly authorized the use of donated American weapons for strikes deep inside Russia last week. Only a little while before Ukraine’s missile attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin had outlined that Moscow would consider using nuclear weapons against a non-nuclear state if they were supported by nuclear powers. Any aggression by a non-nuclear state with the participation of a nuclear state will be considered a joint attack. Published on Tuesday, the eight-page policy statement on Russian nuclear deterrence includes changes previewed by Putin in September.
Escalation by the USA
Last week, the United States President, Joe Biden reportedly permitted Ukraine to use American-made long-range weapons to deliver strikes deep into Russia. The policy change has been confirmed by some US allies, but not by Washington itself. Putin had previously said that any such attack would amount to a direct war between NATO and Russia.
US media sources had reported that Kyiv had been permitted to use tactical ballistic missiles (ATACMS) to target Russian territory. Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has included unrestricted attacks with Western weapons in his envisaged ‘victory plan’ for the conflict with Moscow, which he had proposed to Biden in September. Other points of Zelensky’s proposal include the deployment of a “conventional deterrence package” on Ukrainian soil. He reportedly requested the US to station Tomahawk cruise missiles in Ukraine and threatened to launch them against Russia.
On the other hand, President-elect Donald Trump’s camp has expressed its displeasure with Biden’s decision. Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr, was among the first Republicans to respond saying, “The military-industrial complex seems to want to make sure they get World War Three going before my father has a chance to create peace and save lives,” he said. Another vocal Trump supporter, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, condemned Biden as well, asserting that the American public does not want to get involved in foreign conflicts, “The American people gave a mandate on Nov 5th against these exact America last decisions and do NOT want to fund or fight foreign wars. We want to fix our own problems,” she wrote on X.