Russia accused the United States of direct involvement in the war in Ukraine for the first time.

Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Defense, claimed that the United States was approving targets within range of the US-made Haimars artillery used by Kyiv forces. 

He said intercepted calls between Ukrainian officials revealed the link, and the BBC could not independently verify this.

There was no immediate comment from US officials on the allegations.

Russia has previously accused Washington of participating in a "proxy war" in Ukraine.

"The Biden administration is directly responsible for all the missile attacks approved by Kyiv that targeted residential areas and civilian infrastructure facilities in neighborhoods in Donbas and other areas, and that resulted in the deaths of large numbers of civilians," Konashenkov said.

The HYMARS multiple missile system can launch precision-guided missiles at targets up to 70 km, which is a much greater range compared to the artillery previously possessed by Ukraine.

It is also believed to be more accurate than its Russian counterparts.

Last April, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that US President Joe Biden's decision to provide Ukraine with weapons worth billions of dollars means that "NATO, in essence, is fighting a proxy war against Russia and arming this country." ".

"War is war," Lavrov, 72, warned.

Since the conflict in Ukraine began, Russia has been accused of numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity.