Ukraine launched U.S.-made ATACMS missiles against Russia 

Ukrainian forces have for the first time used U.S.-supplied ATACMS long-range missiles to strike a target inside Russia, Russia's Defense Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

The claims could not be independently verified. A Ukrainian military representative declined to comment on the reports for the Kyiv Independent. 

"Overnight, at 03:25 a.m. Moscow time, the Ukrainian Armed Forces struck a facility in the Bryansk region with six ATACMS ballistic missiles," the Defense Ministry said.

The ministry said its air defense systems intercepted five of the ATACMS missiles, while one was damaged.

Ukrainian officials previously reported an attack with unspecified weaponry against a Russian arsenal in Karachev overnight on Nov. 19, which reportedly stored artillery ammunition, including North Korean munitions, KAB guided bombs, anti-aircraft missiles, and rocket launcher ammunition.

Twelve secondary explosions could be heard at around 2:30 a.m., the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported.

Karachev residents reported explosions and detonations, including an alleged attack on a "military base," as shared in local chats and reported by Russian media outlet Astra. The town lies more than 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

ATACMS missiles have a maximum range of 300 kilometers (190 miles).

In turn, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that its forces shot down five and damaged one ATACMS missile. Missile fragments fell on a military facility in Bryansk Oblast and started a fire but inflicted "no casualties or damage," the ministry claimed.

Unnamed U.S. officials, as well as a source familiar with the decision, who spoke to Reuters following the decision earlier this week, said that Kyiv plans to conduct its first long-range strikes in the coming days.

Commenting on the reports, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the "missiles will speak for themselves."