The Ukrainian military launched six US-supplied short-range ballistic missiles into Russia for the first time early Tuesday, two days after the Biden administration greenlit their expanded use. Russian officials claimed five of the missiles were intercepted, with a sixth hitting an ammunition depot in Russia’s southwestern region of Bryansk. The incident came on the 1,000th day of the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II (see numbers).
Army Tactical Missile Systems are American-made short-range (up to 190 miles) ballistic missiles designed to be launched from mobile platforms. Their high speed—a result of their high launch trajectory through the atmosphere—makes them more difficult to intercept than the drones and cruise missiles Ukraine has previously fired into Russia. Biden reportedly shifted the policy to help Ukraine counter Russia’s concentration of troops—including more than 10,000 North Koreans—in the Ukrainian-occupied Kursk territory of Russia.
Later Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin lowered the threshold for justifying the use of nuclear weapons to include any attack from a nonnuclear country supported by a nuclear ally.