Russia warns will 'respond immediately' if hit with missile systems US supplied to Ukraine

Russia on Thursday threatened that it will "respond immediately" in an event that it is attacked with long-range weapon systems supplied to the Ukrainian armed forces by the United States of America. In a dire warning, the head of the Russian delegation leading the negotiations on Military Security and Arms Control in Vienna, Konstantin Gavrilov, told the Rossiya-24 TV channel that there would be a swift response from Russia's side if it is attacked with the foreign weaponry. 

"We particularly put the spotlight on the delivery [to Ukraine] of long-range howitzers and HIMARS MLRS that threaten not only Donbass but Russia as well," said Konstantin Gavrilov. He continued, "We have clearly laid out Russia’s stance: if the Russian Federation is attacked with these long-range systems, the response against the decision-making centers will be immediate." The Russian official also lambasted the United States of America for selling the Javelins to the Ukraine Army. 

"I think, this is happening not without the involvement of Ukraine’s military and political leadership. I am not ruling out anything anymore," he iterated. 

US sends MLRS to Ukraine's military 

Biden administration approved the advanced long-range rocket systems to Ukraine as a part of the package of military and other assistance, despite the fact that the US had been previously reluctant to dispatch it. The approval came after extensive discussions between the deputy cabinet members during two national security policy meetings at the White House. As Russia’s forces concentrated in Ukraine’s eastern Donbass region and intensified the assaults, President Volodymyr Zelensky urged the US and other Western nations to deploy more weaponry, especially the so-called Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS). 

Ukraine’s military had requested Washington to provide High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS). This was backed by the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who said in a televised statement that sending advanced, long-range rocket systems “would enable them [Ukraine forces] to defend themselves against the brutal Russian artillery, and that’s where the world needs to go down.” 

Just recently Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that Moscow would "strike new targets" if Ukraine was supplied with longer-range missiles that could be used to hit Russian cities. Putin also argued that the new arms deliveries to Kyiv are aimed at “prolonging the conflict” by the Western countries, whom he has labelled as "unfriendly" in numerous state addresses.