The Ukrainian military has repeatedly issued reports of the attack, saying it was highly accurate on airfields near Luhansk in the east and Berdiansk in the south of Ukraine – both areas under Russian control during the conflict.

Ukraine has repeatedly asked the US government to provide ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System). Kiev has pledged not to use them on Russian territory, but says the powerful weapons would change the course of the 20-month-old war.

Senior Ukrainian officials said the weapons deployment would allow their forces to attack supply lines, air bases and rail networks that they had previously been unable to reach due to the strong defenses of Russian forces.

A Russian official in the Zaporizhzhia region, which Moscow partly controls and has annexed, said cluster munitions from ATACMS missiles were found there on Tuesday. He had earlier said Russian air defenses had thwarted a Ukrainian airstrike near Berdiansk.

This is the first time Ukraine has used ATACMS on the battlefield. The missile can fly up to 310 km. The US Army website says ATACMS is designed to "strike deep into the enemy's second line of forces."

Kiev’s Western allies have been cautious about supplying long-range missiles to Ukraine, fearing a more aggressive response from Moscow. It is unclear how many ATACMS missiles Ukraine has.

Bui Huy (according to Reuters, CNN, AP)