According to information from Moscow, Russian air defenses have successfully intercepted two extended-range ATACMS missiles.
This announcement was made as part of a regular report by the Russian Ministry of Defense on the conflict in Ukraine, which Moscow continues to refer to as a “special military operation”. The report does not provide further details. According to state media, this is the first missile interception of its kind. Ukraine had requested these missiles from the USA due to their extended range, as reported by the German news website n-tv.de.
Ukraine has repeatedly sought to procure ATACMS missiles manufactured by Lockheed Martin. These missiles are fired from the ground at land-based targets and are known for their high precision. Newer models are maneuverable, while older models do not have this capability. Due to their range, they are often compared to the German “Taurus” cruise missiles, which were also requested by Kyiv. The Taurus cruise missiles are capable of destroying bunkers and protected positions at distances of up to 500 kilometers.
However, there are concerns about both weapon systems potentially being able to target locations in Russia. The Ukrainian government has dismissed these concerns as unfounded, as reported by the German news platform tagesschau.de.
Image: Kremlin.ru, Vladimir Putin (2022-12-14), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (image size modified)
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