Ukrainian troops used US-supplied Himars missiles to destroy an advanced air defense system inside Russia, leading the Kremlin to warn Washington that it could suffer “fatal consequences” for backing the cross-border attacks.
Several missiles are understood to have hit an air defense installation in the Russian city of Belgorod that was equipped with S-300/400 surface-to-air missiles.
Photos of the aftermath of the attack, which is believed to have happened on Sunday, show vehicles on fire and billowing smoke.
On Monday, Sergei Ryabkov, Moscow’s deputy foreign minister, said that the US would face “fatal consequences” if it allowed Ukraine to use American weapons for attacks inside Russia.
The US has so far allowed Kyiv to hit targets within Russia only if they pose an immediate threat to Ukrainian forces.
It is not clear if the strike on Belgorod breaches the limits the US imposed on the weapons, but Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, has been requesting permission to use US munitions for long-range strikes.
On Monday, those wishes were echoed by Dmytro Kuleba, the foreign minister, who told his Estonian counterpart that Ukraine was pressing its allies “on expanding the scope of weapons’ application.”.
Official: Using Western weapons to strike Russian territory could be game-changer
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff said Tuesday that using Western weapons to strike Russian territory could change the course of the war.
“Permission to use Western weapons on the territory of the Russian Federation is an extremely important decision,” Andriy Yermak said on Telegram.
“Russian tactical aviation will not be able to be safe on the long approaches to the Ukrainian border,” he said, adding that “this will affect the conduct of the war, the planning of counteroffensive actions, and will also impair the Russians’ ability to use forces in the border area.”
Yermak’s comments come amid an apparent relaxation among Ukraine’s international allies over the use of Western weapons to strike targets within the Russian Federation. Several countries, including the UK and US, have recently given their blessing for Ukraine to use the weapons in such a way, within reason.
Last week, US President Joe Biden gave Ukraine permission to use American-supplied weapons to strike targets in Russia, but only near the northeastern Kharkiv border region where a Russian offensive is in full swing.
House, school, hospital damaged in Dnipro strike
16 high-rise buildings, 31 houses, a school and a hospital were among the buildings damaged in a Russian missile attack on the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro Tuesday morning, according to the city’s mayor.
“As of 09.00, more than 10 houses of the housing and utility sector were damaged. Nearly 300 windows. Six buildings of the homeowners’ association. Approximately 100 windows. A hospital and a clinic. Approximately 70 windows. A school. 31 private houses,” Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov said in a post on Telegram.
Local officials said earlier that the missile attack had injured seven people, including two children.
Ukrainian First Lady: 550 children have been killed in the war so far
Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska said Tuesday that 550 children have been killed in Ukraine since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
“I once again appeal to the international community: help us save our children. We cannot measure the value of their lives by the cost of air defense systems. Therefore, I appeal to everyone here: Our children need to be saved,” Zelenska said in a statement.
Russia derides Kyiv for inviting neighbors to peace summit
Russia has poured scorn on Ukraine’s attempts to invite its former Soviet allies to a forthcoming peace summit in Switzerland on June 15, saying the invitation had been rejected by its neighbors.
Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin told Russian news agency Tass that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his Western allies had “begged” the leaders of the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), an intergovernmental organization of Russia and former Soviet republics, to attend the conference in Switzerland, but claimed the invitation was refused.
“Heavy artillery was used: Zelensky and his Western ‘friends’ began to personally call and beg the leaders of the Commonwealth states to take part in this ‘gathering.’ We know that none of them succumbed to such persuasion,” the deputy minister said.
“Kyiv and its Western handlers actively sought to attract representatives from the countries of the global South and East. Of course, they did not ignore our partners in the CIS. We know for sure that they were regularly sent invitations that remained unanswered,” Galuzin said.
Georgia withdrew its participation in the CIS after a short-lived war with Russia in 2008, and Moldova suspended its involvement after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Kyiv formally ended its participation in the CIS in 2018.
US Vice President will attend Ukraine’s Peace Conference
US Vice President Kamala Harris and national security adviser Jake Sullivan will attend the Ukraine peace conference in Switzerland on June 15, the White House said Monday in a statement.
Harris will travel to Switzerland to underscore Washington’s commitment to supporting Ukraine’s effort to secure a just and lasting peace, based on Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and the principles of the UN Charter, said the vice president’s communications director, Kirsten Allen.
Harris will reaffirm US support for the people of Ukraine as they defend themselves against ongoing Russian aggression, the statement said.
The Kremlin has repeatedly said any talks around securing peace in Ukraine should involve Russia, which has not been invited to the summit.
Compiled by Ana Dumbadze
