Ukraine reports first murder in Russia with Western weapons

Ukraine reported its first killing in Russia with Western-supplied weapons.

Vice Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk revealed on his social media account that kyiv forces managed to neutralize a Russian S-300 missile system on unspecified Russian territory.

She said the historic strike was carried out on the first day it was authorized to use donated weapons to strike deep into Russia.

“It burns well. This is a Russian S-300. On Russian territory,” she wrote.

Vereshchuk, who is also Minister for Reintegration of Ukraine's Temporarily Occupied Territories, did not specify which Western weapon was responsible for the killings.

Long awaited?

The milestone was signaled as a growing number of countries allow Ukraine to use the weapons it gave it for strikes deep into Russia.

The war-torn nation had previously claimed it could not strike Russian troops massed near its border because of restrictions on long-range weapons supplied by the West.

However, Ukraine's allies have slowly relaxed their policies, with Germany, Sweden, Poland, Canada and Denmark now present. support Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory.

“It is entirely in accordance with the rules of war that an attacked country must answer for itself,” said the Danish foreign minister. Lars Lokke Rasmussen said.

The United States has also recently given some consideration to kyiv, including granting broader use of the weapons it has provided, but only to defend the besieged Kharkiv region.

About the S-300

The S-300 is a Soviet-era surface-to-air missile system currently in service with the Russian and Ukrainian military.

It is designed to shoot down hostile aircraft, drones, and cruise and ballistic missiles at a range of up to 150 kilometers (93 miles).

This is the same missile that accidentally hit Poland in 2022 — a strike initially blamed on Moscow, but it was later found to have been caused by a Ukrainian accident.

It is also the weapon used by Syria to hitting Israeli Air Force jets two years ago.