Russia is preparing a response to Ukraine’s ATACMS attacks on Kursk Region, the Russian Defense Ministry announced on Tuesday. Last week, US President Joe Biden authorized Kiev to use US-supplied long-range missiles against targets deep inside Russia’s internationally recognized borders.
In an official statement on Telegram, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that over the past three days, Ukraine’s forces had conducted two long-range strikes on Kursk Region using Western weaponry.
On November 23, Kiev reportedly fired five ATACMS missiles at the vicinity of the village of Lotaryovka, some 37km northwest of the city of Kursk, targeting the position of an S-400 anti-aircraft missile division. The strike resulted in three casualties among the personnel and caused damage to the radar, the ministry said.
Additionally, on November 25, Kiev launched another eight ATACMS at the Kursk-Vostochny airfield, located near the village of Khalino. Seven of the missiles were shot down using the S-400 missile defense system and the Pantsir air defense missile and gun system. However, one of the missiles managed to reach its target. As a result, two servicemen were injured and several facilities were “slightly damaged,” according to the report.
The ministry noted that during the inspections of the target areas, it was “reliably confirmed” that Kiev’s forces had carried out the attacks using US-supplied ATACMS missiles. The ministry also published several photos of what are purported to be the remains of the American-made rockets.