The U.K.’s Sky News reported on the 9th that a Ukrainian fighter jet launched a weapon striking a target on the Russian mainland for the first time.
Sky News cited an anonymous source that revealed the Ukrainian Air Force struck the Russian command center in the western Belgorod region of Russia. Belgorod is a border area only about 25 miles away from the northeastern border of Ukraine.
The anonymous source said, “We are assessing the damage, but it was confirmed to be a direct hit,” and added, “This is the first time Ukraine has dropped a shell on the Russian mainland.” However, the type of shell used was not disclosed.
Ukraine has carried out several drone attacks to strike the Russian mainland. Sky News interpreted the use of fighter jets as a sign that Russia might see this as a new escalation. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that their forces had shot down several Ukrainian drones in the Belgorod region. It was not revealed whether these drones were related to Ukraine’s recent weapon launch.
Earlier, the U.S. and France allowed the use of their weapons as a means to defend against recent Russian attacks. U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron mentioned that it’s up to Ukraine to decide how to use their weapons like Storm Shadow missiles.
In addition, the Ukrainian military announced, “We struck a Russian landing ship that moved from the Black Sea to the Azov Sea yesterday afternoon.” They added, “This attack showed that Russia cannot freely operate from the Black Sea or the east,” adding, “This will obstruct Russia’s ammunition and major military supply transport, directly supporting the Ukrainian military.”
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