Ukraine launches major ATACMS strike on Russian-occupied territory

Ukraine launched an attack on its occupied eastern Luhansk region using U.S.-supplied missiles on Friday, according to a Kremlin-installed official.

The development was reported Anna Romanova, press secretary to the Moscow-appointed head of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic [LPR] in Ukraine’s Donbas region, Leonid Pasechnik. A Ukrainian Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) attack damaged civilian infrastructure and injured at least 22 people, she told Russia’s state-run news agency Tass.

The incident comes as Moscow’s forces push to make significant gains in eastern Ukraine. The Luhansk and Donetsk regions, which comprise the Donbas area, are suffering constant shelling.

The Kremlin has been pushing for the total capture of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions since Russia’s initial invasion of eastern Ukraine in 2014, and continues to make gains in these areas amid the ongoing full-scale war, which began in 2022.

The U.S. recently secretly sent Ukraine ATACMS capable of hitting targets nearly 200 miles away. These have been used by Kyiv’s military on Russian targets in contested territory, including in Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

Romanova said at least six ATACMS missiles had been fired at what she described as civilian targets in Luhansk. She added that although most of the missiles were shot down by air defenses there had been damage to civilian infrastructure.

Social media videos appear to show the immediate aftermath of the strikes.

Newsweek could not independently verify the authenticity of the videos and has contacted Russia’s Defense Ministry for comment by email.

Ukrainian media reported that the attack struck an oil depot in the Luhansk region.

The U.S. on May 30 granted Ukraine permission to use some American-supplied weapons to strike targets in Russia, but has prohibited the use of ATACMS outside of Ukraine.

The Biden administration last week said it moved at “lightning speed” to allow Ukraine to use some weapons to strike certain targets inside Russia. Kyiv may use the weapons in Russian territory bordering northeast Ukraine for the purpose of defending its Kharkiv region, but the use of long-range missiles such as ATACMS is still prohibited on Russian soil, a U.S. official told Newsweek.

On Thursday, U.S. Representative Mike Turner, an Ohio Republican who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, penned a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin urging the Biden administration to lift any ban on ATACMS and other long-range U.S.-supplied weapons to Ukraine.

“The Biden Administration is limiting Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against Russian attacks,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “You can’t fight a war where the enemy gets to hit you, and you don’t get to hit back.”

Turner added: “Reversing this is incredibly important to make certain that Russia faces consequences for its actions.”

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