Russian Defence Ministry claims Ukraine struck Russia with 6 ATACMS missiles

Russia's Defence Ministry has claimed that the Armed Forces of Ukraine had struck an arsenal of the main missile and artillery department in Karachev, Bryansk Oblast, using ATACMS missiles on 19 November. Earlier, both the Russian Defence Ministry and local authorities had reported a drone attack. Source: Kremlin-aligned news agency RIA Novosti and a Russian news outlet RBC (Russian Business Consulting), citing Russia's Defence Ministry

Details: Reports indicate that the Armed Forces of Ukraine allegedly launched six ATACMS missiles at a target in Bryansk Oblast. The Russian Defence Ministry claims that the S-400 air defence systems and the Pantsir missile system intercepted five of the missiles, while one was reportedly damaged.

RBC states that missile wreckage fell on the technical area of a military facility, sparking a fire that was later extinguished. The Defence Ministry confirmed that there were no casualties.

Background: Ukraine's General Staff confirmed that the defence forces had targeted a logistics arsenal in Karachev, Bryansk Oblast.  The General Staff of the Armed Forces did not identify what type of weapons were used to strike the Russian armament stockpile, but did state that as of 02:30, it had recorded 12 secondary explosions and detonations in the target area.

According to the Centre for Countering Disinformation, the facility housed artillery weapons, including North Korean-made systems, guided bombs, anti-aircraft missiles, and MLRS ammunition. Why this is important: On 17 November, The New York Times reported that US President Joe Biden has for the first time authorised Ukrainian forces to use long-range ATACMS missiles to strike Russian territory.

On 19 November, Russian ruler Vladimir Putin issued a decree approving Russia's updated nuclear doctrine shortly after the White House allowed Ukraine to use US-supplied weapons to strike deep into Russia. The condition for the use of nuclear weapons is the "launch of ballistic missiles". On 25 September, Putin already announced an expansion of Russia's nuclear deterrent strategy. The Kremlin leader said that a nuclear response will follow if there is "reliable information about the launch of air and space attack capabilities towards Russia".

These are "strategic and tactical aircraft, cruise missiles, drones, hypersonic and other aircraft". Following that, Ukraine launched at least a few drone attacks against Russia. Following one of the largest strikes, the Russian media questioned Putin's press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, about whether Russia would respond with nuclear weapons.

Peskov responded that "there is no need to overly refer to this document". Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Russia has frequently defined several "red lines", which if violated will purportedly result in a nuclear response. "Red lines" at various times included the provision of Leopard tanks, Western missiles, F-16 aeroplanes, and other weapons to Ukraine.

Ukraine frequently violated the Kremlin's so-called "red lines". However, the entry of Ukrainian troops into Russian territory, as well as the control of hundreds of Russian settlements by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, did not result in a fundamentally changed response from Russia. Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin initially chose a strategy of ignoring what was going on, and then attempted to downplay the significance of the Ukrainian army's occupation of Russian lands.

Furthermore, the Russian authorities and propaganda media choose not to notice Ukrainian drone raids on Russian airfields and munitions stores; after each new attack, they report merely that the air defence reportedly shot down dozens of drones, without commenting on destruction or loss.

For reference: American ATACMS missiles, depending on the modification, can have a range of 140 to 300 kilometres.

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