Moscow has promised to strike back at Ukraine after claiming the Eastern European nation on Friday had shot a U.S.-supplied missile at its Belgorod region.
Newsweek reached out to the Ukrainian and Russian foreign ministries by email on Saturday afternoon for comment.
Why It Matters
Amid the Russia-Ukraine war, which began in February 2022 when Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion, Kyiv has taken the fight to Russia over recent months, starting with the incursion into Kursk, which caught Moscow and the world by surprise. Within a matter of weeks, Ukraine had seemingly established a permanent presence within the region.
President Joe Biden then, following the U.S. presidential election, announced plans to authorize Ukraine to use long-range American weapons to directly strike Russia—something that President-elect Donald Trump later called “foolish” and “a big mistake.”
What To Know
Ukraine on Friday launched a strike against Belgorod, but Russia’s defense ministry claimed that it shot down all eight U.S.-made Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles as well as 72 other aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).
The Russian defense ministry then denounced the attack as a major escalation and said, “These actions by the Kyiv regime, which is supported by Western curators, will be met with retaliation.”
Amid the conflict, Ukraine has received support from the West, which has allowed Kyiv to bolster its defense efforts and allow its military to launch strong counteroffensives to reclaim occupied territory.
ATACMS are a Cold War-era weapon designed to provide the U.S. military with long-range strike capabilities. The missiles travel at high altitudes before descending at immense speeds, making them difficult to intercept.
The missiles have a range of up to 190 miles, allowing deep penetration into enemy territory while evading advanced air defense systems. However, deploying the system requires a cost between $1 million and $1.5 million depending on the model.
Reporter Dies in Eastern Ukraine in ‘Kamikaze’ Attack
Kyiv reportedly followed up with an attack on Saturday morning in which it launched 10 drones, with at least one of those “kamikaze” drones allegedly striking a car and killing a Russian journalist.
Alexander Martemyanov, who freelanced for Russian newspaper Izvestia, was returning from covering shelling in Ukrainian city of Gorlivka, which is currently held by Russia in Eastern Ukraine, when the drone allegedly struck the car, injuring five other media workers, Russian state news agency RIA reported.
What People Are Saying
Russian President Vladimir Putin last year threatened to respond to ATACMS use with the “Oreshnik” missile, which he has claimed will put nations “on the verge of virtually eliminating the need to employ nuclear weapons.”
The Kremlin heavily criticized Biden’s authorization for Kyiv to use these systems and missiles. Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused Biden of seeking to “continue fueling the fire and provoking further escalation of tensions.”
“If such a decision was really formulated and announced to the Kyiv regime, then of course it’s a qualitatively new spiral of tensions and a qualitatively new situation from the point of view of the US’s engagement in the conflict,” Peskov told radio station Mayak in November.
What Happens Next
Russia has regularly retaliated when threatening to do so, which makes it likely that Moscow will launch a strike of significant magnitude—either in number of missiles or strength of weapon, should the Russian leader choose to deploy the Oreshnik.
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