Ukraine ‘uses long-range missiles from US to hit Russian-held areas’

The Army Tactical Missile System gives Ukraine a striking distance of up to190 miles (John Hamilton/US Army/AP)

Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said on Wednesday.

Long sought by Ukrainian leaders, the new missiles give Ukraine nearly double the striking distance, up to 190 miles, that it had with the mid-range version of the weapon that it received from the US last October.