Ukrainian Plane Strikes Russian Territory for the First Time

A Ukrainian Armed Forces plane has hit a target in the Belgorod oblast for the first time, Sky News reported, citing Ukrainian military sources. On 9 June, a command headquarters was hit in the Belgorod oblast. It was not immediately clear what type of munition was used in the attack, including whether or not it had been a Western weapon. The TV channel’s source said that damage assessment is still underway, but a direct strike has been confirmed. “While damage assessment is still occurring, it is confirmed as a direct hit This is the first AFU air-delivered munition delivered against a target within Russia. (...) Ukraine has launched multiple drone strikes deep into Russian territory. But the use of a warplane to strike targets inside Russia could be seen by Moscow as a new escalation,” the TV channel said. Recently, amid the offensive by Russian forces in Kharkiv oblast, the Ukrainian Armed Forces received permission from the United States and other foreign allies to conduct strikes with Western weapons against targets on Russian territory. Kyiv was allowed to use weapons only near the border with Kharkiv oblast (mainly the Russian Federation’s Belgorod oblast) and forbidden to strike deep into Russian territory.