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Editor's note: This article has been updated to reflect comments made by a U.S. official to Reuters providing additional details on the attack.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed on Nov. 19 that Ukraine launched U.S.-made ATACMS missiles against Russia's Bryansk Oblast, according to the state news agency TASS.
This coincides with several Ukrainian media outlets reporting that, according to undisclosed military sources, Ukraine successfully struck a Russian military facility in Karachev, Bryansk Oblast.
If confirmed, this would mark the first instance of Ukraine using U.S.-made long-range missiles on Russian territory since Washington eased the restrictions last week. Kyiv's forces have previously deployed the weaponry only against Russian targets in occupied Ukrainian territories.
The claims could not be independently verified. A Ukrainian military representative declined to comment on the reports for the Kyiv Independent.
Ukrainian officials previously reported an attack with unspecified weaponry against a Russian arsenal in Karachev overnight on Nov. 19, which reportedly stored artillery ammunition, including North Korean munitions, KAB guided bombs, anti-aircraft missiles, and rocket launcher ammunition.
A U.S. official told Reuters that Ukraine had launched eight ATACMS missiles at the military facility, with Russian air defenses intercepting two of the missiles.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed following the attack that its forces shot down five and damaged one ATACMS missile. Missile fragments fell on a military facility in Bryansk Oblast and started a fire but inflicted "no casualties or damage," the ministry claimed.
Twelve secondary explosions could be heard at around 2:30 a.m., the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported.
Karachev residents reported explosions and detonations, including an alleged attack on a "military base," as shared in local chats and reported by Russian media outlet Astra. The town lies more than 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
ATACMS missiles have a maximum range of 300 kilometers (190 miles).
Unnamed U.S. officials, as well as a source familiar with the decision, who spoke to Reuters following the decision earlier this week, said that Kyiv plans to conduct its first long-range strikes in the coming days.
Commenting on the reports, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the "missiles will speak for themselves."
The Kyiv Independent news desk
