BREAKING NEWSUkraine fires US-made missile into Russia: WW3 fears as Kremlin threatens nuclear response if long-range Western weapons are used on its territory
Volodymyr Zelenskys forces marked the 1,000th day of war in Ukraine by carrying out their first strike on Russian territory with US-supplied long-range missiles early this morning, Ukrainian military officials declared.
Volodymyr Zelenskys forces marked the 1,000th day of war in Ukraine by carrying out their first strike on Russian territory with US-supplied long-range missiles early this morning, Ukrainian military officials declared.
A fiery explosion lit up the night sky around 77 miles from the nearest Ukrainian border at an ammunition store in Karachev, in Russias Bryansk region.
Eyewitnesses and Russian military bloggers reported that the ammo dump was targeted by missiles, with Ukrainian military officials later confirming to RBC Ukraine that the attack was indeed conducted with ATACMS.
Reports of the strike emerged within minutes of the Kremlin threatening a nuclear response should Ukraine attack targets on Russian soil with Western-supplied long-range munitions.
The Russian Federation reserves the right to use nuclear weapons in the event of aggression with the use of conventional weapons against it, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Russia this morning according to the TASS news service.
His statement followed Putins approval of an updated nuclear doctrine that would allow his strategic missile forces to deploy nuclear weapons if Russian territory is threatened by a non-nuclear nation supported by a nuclear power.
Threats that would make Russias leadership consider a nuclear strike include an attack with conventional missiles, drones or other aircraft, according to the doctrine.
A Ukrainian strike on Russian territory with US-supplied missiles would meet these criteria, raising fears that Moscow may now consider a dramatic escalation in the conflict following this mornings attack in Bryansk.
A fiery explosion lit up the night sky around 77 miles from the nearest Ukrainian border at an ammunition store in Karachev, in Russia s Bryansk region
ATACMS - Army Tactical Missile - being fired from an M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System
Meanwhile, NATO is holding its largest-ever artillery exercise just 70 miles from the Russian border, where the British Army is testing what military chiefs have described as a game-changing weapon.
Finland, which joined the military alliance last year, is hosting up to 3,600 soldiers from 28 nations for the exercise, known as Dynamic Front.
Live fire drills began on Sunday in the northern Lapland region, and are part of a series of exercises, with further ones planned in Estonia, Germany, Romania and Poland.
The British Army is using the opportunity to put its Archer 155-mm guns to the test, weapons which can release high explosive shells or GPS-guided munitions and hit targets 30 miles away.
The guns have been labelled a battlefield game-changer by British troops, with Major Barney Ingram telling the i newspaper that you can, realistically, with this capability, neutralise most targets.
Snowflakes are illuminated during live firing of the British Armys new Archer Mobile Howitzer gun near Rovaniemi in the Arctic Circle
British Army soldiers and armoured vehicles are taking part in the Arctic drills
Putin approved an updated nuclear doctrine that would allow his strategic missile forces to deploy nuclear weapons if Russia was subject to a conventional missile assault from a non-nuclear nation supported by a nuclear power
Putins tightly controlled state TV has made open threats of a nuclear attack on Britain and the US in the wake of the Biden administrations decision to permit Ukraine to use long-distance missiles to target Russian territory.
The Kremlin chiefs propagandists expressed fury at Biden for giving Ukraine the green light to strike targets inside Russia with the coveted ATACMS system that has a range of up to 190 miles.
Moscow also sees it as highly likely that Britain and France will mirror the decision by granting Ukraine permission to use their Storm Shadow and SCALP missiles, though this is yet to be confirmed.
The Russians claim that a strike with Western weapons on Russian soil crosses a line laid down by Putin and directly implicates the West in the war, arguing that Ukraine cannot target these sophisticated missiles to strike Russia without US, British or French assistance.
Andrey Gurulev, reservist Russian army general, hardline MP, and pro-Putin TV propagandist, warned of a full-scale nuclear strike on Britain to show the dictators intent.
There are individual targets that can be hit with….demonstrative warning strikes, he said. The first candidate to get a nuclear bludgeon….is the UK.
Embarking on a rant on live television, Gurulev said the West was scared of Putins hypersonic nuclear arsenal.
I assure you that there will be no backlash [against Russia], he said.
Our arsenal in Russia, 100% deters either Biden or Trump from using nuclear weapons against Russia.
He also declared that if anyone has the urge to launch ATACMS, SCALP, Storm Shadow missiles… there will be essentially nothing left of America trying to pull us into escalation.
There will be no Biden and no Trump. The American people and we know this perfectly well.
A Yars intercontinental ballistic missile is test-fired from the Plesetsk launchpad in northwestern Russia
US Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) is seen in action
Rescuers work at the site of a residential building hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russias attack on Ukraine, in the town of Hlukhiv, Sumy region, Ukraine, in this handout picture released November 19, 2024
Meanwhile, in a UN security council debate marking the 1,000th day of war in Ukraine, Putins permanent representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said the use of Western missiles in Russia amounted to suicidal strikes.
He also urged a rethink from Britain and France.
Regardless of the militaristic fervour of the Democratic administration, which, having lost the presidential election with a bang… is giving suicidal permits to Zelenskys regime to use long-range weapons to strike deep into Russian territory.
Perhaps Joe Biden himself, for many reasons, has nothing to lose, he said.
But the short-sightedness of the British and French leadership, which are rushing to play along with the outgoing administration and dragging not only their countries but the whole of Europe into a full-scale escalation with extremely serious consequences, is striking.
This is exactly what our former Western partners should think about before it is too late.
Yars intercontinental ballistic missile being launched as part of nuclear deterrence forces drills from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, in Arkhangelsk Oblast, northwestern Russia, 29 October 2024
Russian permanent representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya addressing the Security Council
Rescuers and volunteers remove debris at the site of a residential building hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russias attack on Ukraine, in the town of Hlukhiv, Sumy region, Ukraine, in this handout picture released November 19, 2024
A crater that appeared after a Russian drone strike is seen in front of a house of former football player Serhii Kliuchyk, amid Russias attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine November 19, 2024
The fireball explosion in Karachev in Russias Bryansk region early this morning comes just days after the US gave Kyiv the green light to use ATACMS rockets.
Munitions supplied by North Korea are believed to have been the target.
The same ammunition store was hit in a drone strike last month, but the latest attack caused significantly more damage.
While Ukraine does have domestically made missiles, its usual strikes on Russian territory until now have been by drones rather than Western-supplied missiles.
Russian officials said a dozen drones had also been downed over Bryansk overnight.
Telegram channel Exilenova said: The 67th arsenal of the [Russian armed forces] was attacked in Karachev at night.
This time it was a missile.
A Russian channel with links to law enforcement - VChK-OGPU - reported: A missile alert was declared in the Bryansk region, after which a very powerful explosion occurred in Karachev, according to eyewitnesses.
Now residents see a fiery glow and hear less powerful explosions. A large weapons arsenal is located in this place.
Firefighters work at the site of residential area hit by a Russian missile strike, amid Russias attack on Ukraine, in Lviv region, Ukraine November 17, 2024
The US has given the go-ahead for long-distance ATACMS strikes on Russian territory, with the guidance that this will be mainly in the Kursk region.
Neither Britain nor France has confirmed - for operational reasons - strong suspicions that Ukraine has been given the green light to use Storm Shadow and SCALP missiles against targets inside Russia.
Telegram channel Pravda Gerashchenko - close to the Ukrainian authorities - indicated the Karachev strike was a missile.
There was no initial official comment in Kyiv or Moscow, and no hard evidence either way.
Meanwhile, a Russian strike on Ukraines Sumy region killed at least six and left a dozen wounded, including two children.
Two Russian-launched Iranian Shahed kamikaze drones hit a building in Hlukhiv in Sumy region.
Victims were buried under the rubble.
Reports said that a dormitory had been hit.
