On Tuesday, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that they had successfully downed several American-made ATACMS long-range missiles in Ukraine. This announcement came just days after it was confirmed that these missiles, which are highly sought after by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, had been delivered.
The Russian authorities stated that they had destroyed six ATACMS missiles and two French-made Hammer precision bombs, as well as ten unmanned aircraft in the past 24 hours. According to reports from the Russian portal ASTRA, the Ukrainian Armed Forces had used these missiles to launch attacks on the Crimean peninsula, which has been under Russian control since 2014. The Ukrainian forces targeted a military airfield in Dzhankoi, resulting in at least five Russian soldiers being injured.
In response to this news, Kyiv has been seeking increased support from its international allies. Specifically, they have requested more shipments of long-range ATACMS missiles with a range of up to 300 kilometers and a reinforcement of their anti-aircraft defense systems, including the Patriot system.
