Key Russian air defence system hit in Ukraine Atacms strike

The Russian Defence Ministry shared pictures of what it said was debris from the attack on Khalino air base
BBC NEWS | Published November 27, 2024

Russia has made a rare admission, saying that a key air defence system and an air base in the Kursk region were hit by Ukraine with US-supplied Atacms missiles.

The defence ministry statement, which threatened retaliation, came a day after Ukraine said it had hit targets in the region.

Meanwhile Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched a record 188 drones in a single attack on Monday night, damaging critical infrastructure.

Tensions have been high since the US reportedly allowed Ukraine to use Atacms missiles on targets inside Russia last week, in response to Russia deploying North Korean troops.

The week culminated with Russia’s use of the powerful new intermediate-range Oreshnik ballistic missile on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.

The first reported strikes by Atacms on Russian territory were reported on Tuesday, when Russia said falling fragments caused a fire at a military facility.

But Monday’s strike on an S-400 air-defence missile battalion at Lotarevka northwest of Kursk on Saturday could be seen as more serious. The S-400 is considered the closest Russian equivalent of the US Patriot missile system.

The Defence Ministry said three of the five Atacms missiles were shot down but two reached the target, damaging a radar system and causing casualties.

It also said a second strike on Monday on the Khalino (Kursk East) air base caused “insignificant damage” after one of the eight missiles fired by Ukraine got through air defences.

“The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation is in control of the situation and retaliatory measures are being prepared,” the statement added.

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SOURCE: www.bbc.com

RELATED: Russian Defense Ministry admits that Ukraine hit airbase in Kursk Oblast with ATACMS


Footage that purports to show a fragment of a U.S.-made ATACMS missile on Russian soil launched by Ukraine in November 2024. (Russian Defense Ministry)
THE KYIV INDEPENDENT| Published November 27, 2024

Russia’s Defense Ministry admitted on Nov. 26 that Ukraine had targeted Russian S-400 air defense systems and an airfield in embattled Kursk Oblast with U.S.-made long-range ATACMS missiles over the past three days.

The statement is the first public confirmation of the attacks by Russia, following multiple reports of strikes after Washington permitted Ukraine to use its ATACMS missiles to strike against targets on Russian soil.

According to the ministry, Ukrainian forces launched five ATACMS missiles on Nov. 23 near the village of Lotarevka, some 37 km northwest of Kursk, with three of them shot down. The other two missiles hit the positions of an S-400 surface-to-air missile division.

“The strike damaged a radar. There are casualties among the personnel,” the Defense Ministry said.

Previously, Ukraine’s General Staff also claimed that Ukraine had struck a Russian S-400 radar in Kursk Oblast.

Ukraine also fired eight ATACMS missiles on Nov. 25 at the Kursk Vostochny airbase in the town of Khalino in Kursk Oblast, seven of which were allegedly shot down by Russian air defenses, the Russian ministry claimed.

One of the missiles “reached its target,” injuring two soldiers and damaging infrastructure, the ministry said.

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SOURCE: www.kyivindependent.com

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