Ukraine announced on Wednesday that it had successfully targeted a Russian command post in the town of Gubkin, located in the Belgorod region, approximately 168 kilometers (105 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
It comes after President Joe Biden authorized long-range targeting inside Russia with ATACMS rockets capable of hitting positions up to 190 miles (300 km) away.
Russian independent outlet Astra shared a video on Telegram of plumes of gray smoke towering over the sky following the strike.
Anatolii Stepanov/AFP via Getty Images
“Gubkin residents observed thick black smoke, smelled it, and heard loud explosions,” according to Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.
The attack targeted the command post of Russia’s “Sever” group of forces, said Reuters, who added that the Russian defense ministry had said on Wednesday “it intercepted 44 drones launched by Ukraine’s armed forces overnight, including three over the Belgorod region.”
Newsweek has contacted the office of President Zelensky and the Russian Foreign Ministry for comment via email.
Ukraine used long-range ATACMS missiles against a target inside Russia for the first time on Tuesday, according to Ukrainian news agency RBC-Ukraine, citing a source inside the country’s defense forces.
The missiles struck a munitions storage facility near the city of Karachev in Bryansk Oblast in western Russia, over 70 miles from the Ukrainian border, on November 19, the outlet said.
“Indeed, this is the first time that ATACMS has been used to strike Russian territory. The strike was carried out on a facility in the Bryansk region, and it was successfully destroyed,” the source told the outlet.
President Biden has also committed to providing antipersonnel land mines to Ukrainian forces as they look to make up ground ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration next year.
Biden has increased his support for Kyiv ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House, who is anticipated to adopt a more lenient approach toward Russia and advocate for peace talks.
Trump has repeatedly promised to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine within 24 hours without providing details of how he will achieve the objective.
Ukraine pressed the U.S. for months to approve long-range strikes into Russian territory, but the White House hesitated, citing concerns about escalation. However, Moscow’s decision to deploy North Korean soldiers to the Ukrainian front has shifted the Biden-Harris administration’s stance.
It comes as the Russian Ministry of Defense reported on Wednesday that it had intercepted 44 drones launched overnight by Ukrainian forces, including three over the Belgorod region.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv has been shut down following “specific” intelligence regarding a potential airstrike.
The embassy said it was taking a safety-first approach in its decision to close on Wednesday.
It said in a statement: “The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv has received specific information of a potential significant air attack on November 20. Out of an abundance of caution, the Embassy will be closed, and Embassy employees are being instructed to shelter in place.
“The U.S. Embassy recommends U.S. citizens be prepared to immediately shelter in the event an air alert is announced.”