On the 1,000th day since Russia invaded Ukraine, it appears there was a major escalation.
Moscow claims Ukraine launched six U.S.-made long-range missiles toward its Bryansk region. Russia said it shot down five of the missiles and damaged the sixth.
Ukraine’s defense ministry did not admit to using the long-range missiles but did confirm that it hit a military weapons facility in Bryansk.
President Joe Biden authorized on Sunday for Ukraine to use the missiles to strike deeper inside Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had requested it for months.
RELATED STORY | Biden authorizes Ukraine's use of US-supplied long-range missiles for deeper strikes inside Russia
In an emotional speech to the European Union parliament on Tuesday, Zelenskyy talked about being offensive in its conflict with Russia.
"Putin is focused on winning this war. He will not stop on his own. The more time he has, the worse the conditions become," he said. "Every today is the best moment to push Russia harder, and it's clear without certain key factors, Russia will lack real motivation to engage in meaningful negotiations."
The war has been deadly for both sides. U.S. officials say Russia is losing about 1,200 soldiers a day. Ukraine has not revealed how many soldiers it has lost since it was invaded in 2022, but U.S. officials estimate the number is around 60,000. That's about the same number of Americans who died in the Vietnam War.
RELATED STORY | Trump says if elected, he would settle the war in Ukraine before his inauguration
Scripps News international correspondent Jason Bellini visited a memorial in Ukraine that is reminiscent of the Vietnam War Memorial in the U.S. However, this memorial was created by people who bring photos of their fallen loved ones. It stretches about to city blocks and there's no more room for photos to be displayed on the wall. Some family members are now placing photos and flowers in front of the wall.
You can hear the stories from inside Ukraine on "In the Shadows," which premieres on Scripps News on Thursday at 7 p.m.
