Russia blasts Ukraine's use of US missiles to target civilians in Luhansk

Russia has slammed Kiev after Ukrainian forces caused dozens of casualties in a "massive" attack using US-supplied Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) long-range missiles, targeting civilian buildings in the Russian-controlled city of Luhansk.

The Russian Defense Ministry on Friday announced Ukrainian forces had "deliberately fired five US-made ATACMS missiles at residential districts" of the city that killed three people and wounded 35 more, including children, in the city of Luhansk.

The ministry said in a statement that four of the five missiles fired by Kiev forces had been shot down by the Russians air defense systems, but one of the missiles, which had been aimed at a civilian target, passed through, and damaged two residential apartment blocks.

Russia’s Ministry of Emergencies released video footage showing rescue workers racing to save victims buried under the debris of the damaged apartments that were hit by the Kiev forces. It said rescuers had managed to pull seven survivors from under the rubble.

According to the Luhansk region's governor, Leonid Pasechnik, thirty-five people were injured including three children aged 8 to 16, citing the regional health ministry.

"Ukrainian nationalists in the daytime launched a massive attack on the civilian infrastructure of Luhansk," Pasechnik wrote in news posted on social media, adding that, "In one multi-story block, a section has entirely collapsed. There are people under the ruins. Rescuers are working to free them."

According to the regional health minister, Nataliya Pashchenko, "five people are in a serious state."

Ukraine asks US for ATACMS long-range missiles despite warnings from Russia

Ukraine calls on the US to provide it with ATACMS long-range missiles, despite Russia

The Luhansk region, which separated from Ukraine and joined the Russian Federation in 2022, is almost entirely under Russian control.

On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that Moscow could supply arms to other countries to hit Western targets after the West allowed Ukraine to strike inside the Russian Federation using US-made arms and munitions.

Speaking at a press conference with editors from international news agencies on the sidelines of the annual economic forum in St. Petersburg, Putin said, “If someone thinks it is possible to supply such weapons to a warzone to attack our territory and create problems for us, why don’t we have the right to supply our weapons,”

Putin asked reporters why should Moscow “not have the right to supply our weapons of the same class to those regions of the world where there will be strikes on the sensitive facilities of those countries that are doing this against Russia?”

The Russian leader said the West's go-ahead to a country neighboring with Russian to use Western-supplied weapons to strike us was a “very serious and dangerous step.”

“Supplying weapons to a conflict zone is always a bad thing, especially if this is linked to the fact that those who supply them are not only delivering weapons but managing them,” he explained.

US President Joe Biden said the Kiev forces had permission to strike targets inside Russia using arms and ammo supplied by Americans.

The Germans instantly followed suite, giving Kiev a green light to use German-supplied long-range missiles against Russian targets. The UK and France had already given Kiev this permission.

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