"It could lead to World War III"...resistance to allowing long-range missiles

Russian politicians have warned that reports that the U.S. has allowed Ukraine to strike mainland Russia with long-range missiles could "lead to World War III."

According to foreign media on the 17th of local time, Vladimir Javarov, vice chairman of the International Affairs Committee of the Russian House of Representatives, protested this, calling it a "very big step toward the beginning of World War III" and adding that Russia would respond immediately.

Andrei Klitschas, chairman of Russia's Senate Constitutional Committee, also warned in a Telegram post that "the West has decided to move to a level where Ukraine's sovereignty can be completely devastated."

Earlier in the day, the New York Times quoted U.S. officials as saying that President Joe Biden allowed Ukraine's long-cherished desire to strike the Russian mainland.

According to the New York Times, President Biden has changed his policy so far, authorizing Ukraine to use U.S.-made long-range surface-to-surface missiles with a range of about 300 kilometers to hit targets in mainland Russia.

As a result, Ukraine is planning its first long-range strike in the coming days, Reuters said.

There has been no mention of the Kremlin in this move yet.

However, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Maria Zakarova reiterated the warning given by President Vladimir Putin in September, saying, "The president has already been talking about this issue."

At the time, Putin warned that if the West allowed Ukraine to strike Russian territory, it would "meaning it is at war with Russia."

Earlier in June, when Ukrainian forces attacked Crimea with Ae-Tax, Russia strongly protested, including inviting the U.S. ambassador to the country.

At that time, there was no U.S. permission, but Crimea is not considered the Russian mainland, given that it was forcibly annexed by Russia in 2014.

As of May, the U.S. has allowed Ukraine to attack mainland Russia with the High-Speed Motorized Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and the Intermediate-Range Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) for defense purposes, but has not allowed attacks on the Russian mainland using Attacks.