Ukraine strikes deep inside Russia with US, British missiles; 'won't go unanswered,' says Kremlin

Ukraine unleashed a wave of strikes deep into Russian territory on Tuesday, targeting industrial and military facilities with US-made ATACMS missiles, British Storm Shadow cruise missiles, and drones in what Kyiv called its "most massive" attack since the war began.

The strikes reportedly reached up to 1,100 kilometres inside Russia, hitting oil storage sites, ammunition depots, chemical plants, and other critical infrastructure, according to Ukraine’s General Staff.

Russia’s defence ministry claimed its air defences intercepted all of Ukraine’s Western-made missiles and downed 146 drones outside the combat zone, including two Storm Shadow missiles over the Black Sea, reported Reuters.

“The actions of the Kyiv regime, supported by its Western curators, will not go unanswered,” Reuters quoted the defence ministry as saying.

Tuesday’s strikes also included one of the largest drone assaults to date, with waves of unmanned aerial vehicles targeting sites in central and western Russia.

Roman Busargin, governor of the Saratov region, reported damage to two industrial facilities and said schools shifted to remote learning as a precaution.

The Ukrainian General Staff said it had hit the Kristall Plant oil storage facility in Engels and a chemical plant in Bryansk Oblast.

Russian officials, however, dismissed the extent of the damage.

Dmitry Milyaev, governor of the Tula region, said air defences shot down 16 drones, with minimal casualties or destruction reported.

There were no casualties, he said, although falling debris had damaged some cars and buildings, reported the BBC.

Videos circulating on social media appeared to corroborate some of Ukraine’s claims, showing plumes of smoke and damaged sites, according to the BBC.

The Security Service of Ukraine described the attacks as a “painful blow” to Russia’s military capabilities.

The escalation comes as Kyiv grapples with a shortage of infantry on the front lines.

President Volodymyr Zelensky, however, pushed back against calls to lower the conscription age, claiming that the issue lies with a lack of weapons rather than manpower.

"We have more than 100 brigades on the battlefield, and each of them requires daily replenishment and equipment," Zelensky said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly warned that Western support enabling Ukraine to strike deep into Russia could escalate the conflict to a global scale. In response to similar strikes last November, Moscow launched its new intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile, dubbed “Oreshnik” or “Hazel Tree,” targeting Ukrainian positions.

The attacks come just days before US President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration scheduled for January 20. Trump has expressed intentions to prioritise ending the war in Ukraine and hinted at possible negotiations with Putin. However, his administration has pressed Kyiv to address troop shortages and demonstrate greater resolve.

In a recent interview, Trump’s national security adviser, Mike Waltz, called on Ukraine to “be all in for democracy” if it expects continued US support.