RIO DE JANEIRO, November 19. /TASS/. Ukraine’s strikes on Russia’s Bryansk Region using ATACMS missiles are a sign that the West is trying to escalate the situation, as such strikes are impossible without American help, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

"The fact that multiple ATACMS were used last night against the Bryansk Region signals that they [in the West] want escalation. You see, it is impossible to use these high-tech missiles without the Americans, and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has repeatedly said this," Lavrov told a news conference after taking part in the Group of Twenty summit.

The top Russian diplomat recalled that the Russian leader had warned Western countries how Russia’s position would change if "this range of weapons that we are now talking about, i.e. up to 300 kilometers, is approved." "As a matter of fact, this is not about authorizing Ukraine’s use of long-range missiles. This is simply about declaring that from now on, we will be striking up to 300 kilometers," he added.

The Russian defense ministry said earlier that on Monday night into Tuesday, Ukraine attacked Russia’s borderline Bryansk Region with six ATACMS missiles. Five of them were shot down by Russia’s Pantsir and S-400 missile defense systems and one was damaged. The missiles fell down on the premises of a military facility in the Bryansk Region, causing a fire that was promptly put out. No one was hurt, and no damage was reported.