Russia's Defense Ministry admitted on Nov. 26 that Ukraine had targeted Russian S-400 air defense systems and an airfield in embattled Kursk Oblast with U.S.-made long-range ATACMS missiles over the past three days.
The statement is the first public confirmation of the attacks by Russia, following multiple reports of strikes after Washington permitted Ukraine to use its ATACMS missiles to strike against targets on Russian soil.
According to the ministry, Ukrainian forces launched five ATACMS missiles on Nov. 23 near the village of Lotarevka, some 37 km northwest of Kursk, with three of them shot down. The other two missiles hit the positions of an S-400 surface-to-air missile division.
"The strike damaged a radar. There are casualties among the personnel," the Defense Ministry said.
Previously, Ukraine's General Staff also claimed that Ukraine had struck a Russian S-400 radar in Kursk Oblast.
Ukraine also fired eight ATACMS missiles on Nov. 25 at the Kursk Vostochny airbase in the town of Khalino in Kursk Oblast, seven of which were allegedly shot down by Russian air defenses, the Russian ministry claimed.
One of the missiles "reached its target," injuring two soldiers and damaging infrastructure, the ministry said.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims.
While OSINT analysts earlier reported the strike against the Russian airbase, the Ukrainian military has not commented on the attack.
Russia's Defense Ministry threatened with "retaliatory actions" to Ukraine's strikes.
Moscow's forces launched a missile attack on the city of Dnipro on Nov. 21, reportedly using a new type of ballistic missile. Russian President Vladimir Putin called the attack a response to Ukraine's strikes on targets inside Russia with Western-supplied missiles.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
(Updated: )
