Ukraine launched American-made ATACMS missiles at Russia shortly before President Vladimir Putin lowered his country’s threshold for authorizing a nuclear strike, Moscow said Tuesday. The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces shot down five out of six Army Tactical Missile System projectiles,

A decree signed by the Russian leader, though long-planned, came days after President Biden authorized the use of U.S.-supplied long-range missiles by Ukraine for strikes inside Russia.

Putin lowered the bar for a nuclear attack after the US lifted a ban on Ukraine using long-range missiles. Ukraine carried out its first strike with the weapons.