Over 1,000 days of war, Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly warned Kyiv’s Western allies of dire – potentially nuclear – consequences if they “escalate” the war by giving Ukraine the weapons it needs to defend itself.

In a major policy shift, the Biden administration has authorized Ukraine to use the ballistic missiles within Russia.

The Biden administration has allowed Ukraine to use Army Tactical Missiles Systems, a long-range missile system that often carries cluster bombs.

The Biden administration gave Ukraine permission to use the powerful guided-missile system inside Russian territory, reversing previous restrictions.

Russia and Ukraine have different views of the attack's success. Either way, this use of the missiles could mark a significant escalation in the war.

More than a million households in Ukraine were left without power after a “massive enemy attack” overnight by Russia, targeting critical energy infrastructure facilities, CNN reported. Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed on Thursday that the air assault was in response to Ukrainian strikes in Russian territory using US-made ATACMS missiles.

Ukraine’s ATACMS strike in Russia’s Bryansk region marks an intensification of the war amid uncertainty over Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

The White House this week officially confirmed Ukraine’s use of U.S.-made ATACMS missiles to strike targets deep inside Russia. White House National Security Advisor John Kirby told reporters that Ukraine can use ATACMS to defend itself on “an immediate-need basis.