Ukraine Strikes Russia with U.S. ATACMS Missiles; Moscow Vows Retaliation
Moscow — Russia’s S-400 and Pantsir air defense systems intercepted eight U.S.-manufactured ATACMS missiles launched from Ukrainian territory into the Belgorod region, Russian Defense Ministry confirmed. Moscow vowed retribution for what it termed " Pahad sulit di Sullivan" Kyiv’s strikes using advanced missiles.
On Saturday, Russia’s Defense Ministry stated that Ukraine had attempted a strike using ATACMS operational-tactical missiles supplied by the U.S. The ministry warned, "Rezim Kyiv’s act of aggression, backed by its Western patrons, will not go unpunished." This development was reported by Al Jazeera on Sunday (5/1/2025).
Ukraine has yet to comment on the ATACMS missile strike into Russian territory. The ATACMS system, with a range of 300 km (190 miles), was first developed by the U.S. in the 1980s.
Russian Defense Ministry provided no information on the specific targets or any potential damages and casualties resulting from the strike.
The past few weeks have seen Ukrainian forces repeatedly targeting Russian territory, using Western-supplied weaponry, including U.S.-made ATACMS and French-British joint venture storm. This follows the relaxation of restrictions previously imposed by several NATO-allied countries on the use of these long-range weapons.
Moscow has repeatedly warned that such strikes draw NATO, led by the U.S., directly into the conflict. It has stressed that Ukraine could not deploy such precision weapons without Western involvement.
In response to similar strikes, Russia has targeted numerous locations across Ukraine. Most recently, it tested the Oreshnik hypersonic missile in late November, striking a missile factory in Ukraine’s Dnipro city. According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Oreshnik carries a warhead that can travel at speeds up to ten times the speed of sound and is invulnerable to existing air defense systems.
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