A Ukrainian fighter jet launched weapons for the first time that hit a target inside Russia, according to a Ukrainian military source. Details of the attack revealed that a “Russian command node” was attacked on Sundayin the Belgorod area of western Russia, near the border with northeastern Ukraine.
Initial reports did not specify the type of ammunition used in the attack and whether it was of Western origin. Recently, the United States and France authorized Ukrainian forces to use their weapons to attack military targets inside Russia, from where attacks are launched against Ukraine. Under new guidelines approved by President Joe Biden, U.S. munitions can be used on Russian territory to help defend the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.
UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron has been less specific, mentioning that it is up to Ukraine to decide how to use British weapons, such as Storm Shadow cruise missiles that can be launched by Ukrainian aircraft.
The first of many more attacks?
Ukraine has carried out multiple drone attacks on Russian territory, but the use of a fighter jet to attack inside Russia could be seen by Moscow as a new escalation. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that its forces had shot down several Ukrainian drones in the Belgorod region, although it was not clear if this was related to the same attack.
The Ukrainian military source also reported that on Saturday night, Ukrainian forces carried out a “coordinated attack” against a Russian landing ship in the Sea of Azov, which had recently moved from the Black Sea. This vessel became the fifth of seven Ropucha-class landing units sunk or “put out of commission” by Ukrainian attacks, according to the source. This successful attack demonstrates to the Russians that they cannot operate freely in either the Black Sea or the East, and directly affects the transportation of Russian ammunition and supplies to the occupied city of Mariupol.
Separately, kyiv’s main military intelligence service reported that its forces had attacked an ultra-modern Russian fighter jet parked at an air base nearly 400 miles from the front line, according to Associated Press. The weapons used were not specified, but the distance suggests it was likely attacked by drones. If confirmed, it would be Ukraine’s first successful attack against a fifth-generation Su-57 fighter, a twin-engine stealth fighter that represents the most advanced of Moscow’s Aerospace Forces.
These details are revealed after reports from APciting a US senator and a Western official, that Ukraine had used US weapons to attack inside Russia in recent days.
Illustrative cover image. Credits: Ukrainian Air Force
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Source: Sky News
