A spokesperson for Ukraine's Air Force says the country is under threat following Russia's use of anti-aircraft missile systems to strike ground targets. Such missiles are difficult to intercept.

Yuriy Ihnat said on Monday that Russia is stepping up its use of missiles that were originally developed for protection against incoming air assaults. Some of the missiles are said to have ranges of hundreds of kilometers.

The official said Ukraine needs the West to provide air defense systems to shoot down the Russian missiles. He added, "We need to destroy them at the positions from which they are fired."

The remarks suggest that Ukrainian forces are not ruling out attacks against missile systems deployed within Russia or Russian-controlled regions of Ukraine.

The Air Force spokesperson also suggested that Russia is using its air defense systems because it is running low on short-range ballistic missiles.