The Russian defense ministry declared on Saturday that its air defense forces successfully intercepted and destroyed four US-manufactured long-range missiles above the Crimea peninsula. These missiles, identified as Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), had been recently supplied to Ukraine by Washington.
However, the ministry refrained from providing further specifics regarding the incident.
Earlier in the week, Russian authorities alleged that Ukraine had launched an assault on Crimea using ATACMS missiles, aiming to breach Russian air defenses over the annexed peninsula. In this purported attack, six missiles were reportedly intercepted and neutralized.
Reports from a US official in Washington last month confirmed that the United States had clandestinely delivered long-range missiles to Ukraine in recent weeks. These ATACMS missiles, boasting a range of up to 300 km (190 miles), were utilized for the first time on April 17. They were allegedly fired towards a Russian airfield in Crimea, situated approximately 165 km (103 miles) from the Ukrainian front lines.
Initially, the Pentagon had reservations about deploying these long-range missiles, fearing that their removal from the American arsenal could compromise US military preparedness. There were also concerns that Ukraine might employ them to strike targets deep within Russia, potentially escalating the conflict towards a direct confrontation between Russia and the United States.
Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine occurred in 2014, with the peninsula now hosting its Black Sea Fleet.
On a separate note, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron pledged £3 billion ($3.7 billion) of annual military assistance to Ukraine "for as long as it takes." Notably, Cameron expressed no objection to the possibility of Ukrainian weapons being utilized within Russian territory, a stance that elicited a sharp response from Moscow.
