Ukrainian forces fired a barrage of six US-made ATACMS missiles at a military airfield near the southern Russian city of Taganrog on Wednesday, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has said, vowing retaliation for the attack.
Two of the missiles were shot down, while the other four were affected by electronic warfare measures and veered off course, the ministry said in a statement. The attack inflicted minor damage on the airfield, with two administrative buildings and a number of cars hit with shrapnel.
An unspecified number of Russian servicemen were injured in the attack by “falling fragments of the missiles,” the ministry added, vowing to retaliate for the strike.
“This attack by Western long-range weapons will not go unanswered, and appropriate measures will be taken,” it said without providing further details.READ MORE: Ukraine fires missiles at southern Russian city – governor
Earlier in the day, acting Rostov Region Governor Yury Slyusar said an unspecified “industrial site” was targeted by the barrage, with around 15 cars being burned out in a parking lot.
Images circulating online show the booster part of an ATACMS missile lying in a street in Taganrog. While the Russian military has not elaborated, the missiles used in the attack likely included cluster warheads, images from the scene suggest.https://t.me/boris_rozhin/147515?embed=1
Last month, the US authorized Ukraine to use American-supplied long-range missiles, including ATACMS, to strike targets in internationally recognized Russian territory. The White House previously restricted the use of these weapons by Kiev, citing concerns that the move would result in a major escalation with Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that authorizing these strikes would drastically change the nature of the conflict and would be tantamount to direct NATO involvement.
In late November, Russia used its new Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile system for the first time, striking the Yuzhmash military plant in the Ukrainian city of Dnepr. At the time, Putin said the new weapon could be used in retaliation against the “Kiev regime” if Ukrainian attacks against Russia with Western-provided long-range missiles continue, with the targets potentially including Ukrainian “decision-making centers,” as well as military and industrial facilities.