Russia announced on Monday, Nov. 25, that its air defense systems intercepted and shot down eight ballistic missiles fired by Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the incident in its daily briefing but did not specify the missile type or exact location of the interception.
This attack might mark the second time Ukraine has deployed Western-supplied long-range weapons on Russian soil.
According to Ukrainian media outlet Militarnyi, citing the Ukrainian GEOINT - project Cyberboroshno, Kyiv has reportedly used ATACMS ballistic missiles with cluster warheads to strike a tactical aviation airfield in Russia's Kursk region.
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Analysts shared photos showing the detonation of submunitions from two M39 cluster warhead missiles at the airfield. Geolocation analysis indicates the missiles struck an area used to park aviation equipment, including combat aircraft. It is unclear if any aircraft were present during the strike.
Russian military aviation bloggers have also confirmed the ballistic missile strike. Notably, Ilya Tumanov, a Russian propagandist and author of the Fighterbomber channel, reported the launch of eight missiles.
According to Tumanov, the air defense systems at the airfield engaged only seven of the missiles. However, he clarified that "engaged" merely indicates an interception attempt rather than a successful shootdown.
Last Tuesday, Nov.19, Ukraine launched US-made ATACMS ballistic missiles into Russian territory for the first time after receiving approval from Washington.
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Shortly following the attack on Nov. 20, rumors about a Russian “retaliatory” large-scale missile strike involving the RS-26 Rubezh started circulating on Ukrainian social media. The missile, with an alleged range of 6,000 kilometers (3,728 miles), was expected to be deployed.
That same night, on Thursday, Nov. 21, Russia fired a newly developed intermediate-range ballistic missile, named Oreshnik (Hazel Tree), at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.
President Vladimir Putin described the weapon as a nuclear-capable system but confirmed it had been deployed in a non-nuclear, hypersonic configuration during the strike.
In a televised address, Putin hailed the missile’s successful test under combat conditions, stating it had hit its target. He revealed plans to continue tests and instructed that the Oreshnik be prepared for serial production.
Rising Tensions
Tensions between Moscow and Ukraine’s Western allies have escalated since the arrival of North Korean troops in support of Russia and increased Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities.
In response, Washington has greenlit Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied long-range missiles to strike military targets on Russian territory.
A Ukrainian attack with ATACMS missiles on a Russian ammunition depot carried out on Nov. 19, came after US President Joe Biden permitted Ukraine to launch such strikes at military targets in Russia for the first time.
Washington is also set to provide Ukraine with antipersonnel landmines to bolster its defenses against Russian forces.
On the same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree lowering the threshold for deploying nuclear weapons, a decision swiftly condemned by Western nations as “irresponsible.”
With just two months left in his term, Biden is intensifying support for Ukraine’s military efforts before the transition to Donald Trump, who has pledged to end the war quickly – potentially by withdrawing support from Ukraine, takes place in January.
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