Russia could deploy missiles in Asia if US missiles appear there: Deputy FM

MOSCOW/KYIV - Russia is considering possibly deploying medium-range and short-range missiles in Asia if US missiles appear in the same region, local media reported Monday, citing Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.

"The appearance of such US systems in any region of the world will determine our next steps, including in the field of organizing a military and military-technical response," Ryabkov told reporters when asked whether Russia is considering the possibility of deploying medium-range and short-range missiles in Asia.

The diplomat also said that US bases in Europe, including those where tactical nuclear weapons are deployed, are not excluded as potential targets for Russia in the event of a hypothetical military conflict.

General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Monday announced that the Ukrainian forces launched a series of overnight attacks on "important facilities" in three regions of western Russia.

An oil depot in the Kaluga region was struck during the attack, the General Staff said in a statement on Facebook, adding that outcomes of strikes on other targets in the Bryansk and the Kursk regions are still being assessed.