The Ukrainian armed forces carried out their first strike in a border region within Russian territory with an Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missile, RBC Ukraine reported, citing an official in the nation’s military.
This comes a day after US President Joe Biden permitted Ukraine to use the US-supplied long-range missiles to attack inside Russia.
As Biden is set to leave the administration in January, the move to allow Ukraine to strike with missiles inside Russia marks a significant change in the policy of the US in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to limit US support for Ukraine and bring an end to the ongoing war.
Biden administration’s decision comes months after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky requested permission to use American weapons to strike inside Russia.
What is the Army Tactical Missile System?
The Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) is a surface-to-surface ballistic missile that can hit targets at up to 300 km. The range of the missile makes it particularly significant for Ukraine.
ATACMS was built by the defence manufacturer Lockheed Martin. They are fuelled by solid rocket propellant and follow a ballistic path into the atmosphere before coming back down at a high speed and high angle, which makes them difficult to intercept.
Kyiv has been using these missiles on Russian targets in occupied Ukrainian territory for more than a year now.
Till now, the US has never permitted Ukraine to use the ATACMS inside Russian territory. However, Ukraine kept on asking America to allow them to use it.
Watch | Russia-Ukraine War: Biden Allows Ukraine To Use U.S. Arms To Strike Inside Russia
However, the Ukrainian president has not confirmed anything about these attacks inside Russia. But, on Sunday, he said, “Strikes are not made with words … The missiles will speak for themselves.”
A Western diplomat stressed that it might raise the war cost for Russia.
“I don’t think it will be decisive,” a Western diplomat in Kyiv told the BBC, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. However, it’s an overdue symbolic decision to raise the stakes and demonstrate military support to Ukraine.”
“It can raise the war cost for Russia,” the diplomat added.
(With inputs from agencies)