Ukraine Claims First ATACMS Strike Inside Russia Destroyed Weapons Depot

The Ukrainian military has fired U.S.-supplied longer-range missiles into Russia for the first time.

Ukraine said it had struck a Russian arms depot around 70 miles inside Russia and the attack caused secondary explosions, Reuters reported.

It was a longer-range Army Tactical Missiles System missile (ATACMS), a U.S. official confirmed to the news outlet.

Six of the Army Tactical Missiles System missiles were fired at the Bryansk region, Moscow said but claimed it shot down five of them and damaged the other one.

The attack marks an escalation in the conflict, which has reached 1,000 days.

President Biden gave the OK for the weapons to be used after North Korean troops were deployed in the war, the Associated Press reported.

There are growing concerns about continued support for the Ukrainian fight as Donald Trump gets ready to re-enter the White House. He has signaled a desire to end military assistance for Ukraine and has suggested Kyiv go to the negotiation table.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Ukraine is not prepared to accept Moscow keeping any of the land it has seized in the invasion.

February 2025 would mark the third anniversary of the Russian war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he will only accept talks with Ukraine if Kyiv surrenders Ukrainian territory that Moscow now occupies.

Moscow has made steady advances in eastern Ukraine since this summer, inching closer to key hubs such as Pokrovsk and Kurakhove, the AFP has reported.