Ukraine Strikes Russia With ATACMS Missiles

After authorization from the Biden administration, Ukraine on Tuesday executed its first long-range strikes inside Russian territory using U.S.-supplied ATACMS weaponry. Six missiles were launched by Ukraine at military targets in the Bryansk region of Russia and a munitions depot was destroyed, the Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed. The strikes occurred on the thousandth day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

The event marks a notable escalation in the conflict; previously, the U.S. had only permitted the use of ATCMS weapon systems it supplied to the Ukrainian armed forces to be used for operations within Ukrainian territory. These systems require the use of American targeting and navigation systems, involving U.S. personnel directly in attacks on Russian territory. The Russian government has said this is a redline.

The same day, the Russian president Vladimir Putin approved a revised nuclear doctrine, which states that an attack upon Russia by a non-nuclear nation with the support of a nuclear nation shall be considered a joint attack. The new nuclear doctrine is a direct response to American and European support for the Ukrainian government, and expands Russian nuclear options to include nations not directly at war with Russia but abetting hostilities against it.

The confrontation comes only months before the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, who has promised to bring the war in Ukraine to a quick end, most probably by a negotiated settlement.