Russia Says Ukraine's ATACMS Strikes Mark 'New Phase' Of War

Russia said on Tuesday that Ukraine's use of long-range ATACMS missiles against its territory marked a "new phase of the Western war" against Moscow, and vowed to react "accordingly."

Ukraine used the missiles to target a military facility in Russia's Bryansk border region overnight, Moscow said, just days after Washington gave the green light for Kyiv to use the long-range weapons against Russian targets.

"This is, of course, a signal that they want to escalate," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, speaking at a G20 press conference in Brazil, said of the strike.

"We will be taking this as a qualitatively new phase of the Western war against Russia. And we will react accordingly," he added, accusing Washington of helping Kyiv operate the missiles.

Russia has long asserted that the Army Tactical Missile System, known by its initials ATACMS, is programmed by US specialists and requires guidance from American satellites.

Lavrov also urged the West to read a decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday that lowers the threshold for when Moscow can use nuclear weapons.

"I hope that they will read this doctrine... in its entirety," Lavrov said.