HOT! Ukraine attacks Russia with ATACMS, self-made long-range missiles, President Zelensky declares to take advantage of everything

The Russian Defense Ministry said the Ukrainian army attacked Russia's western Bryansk province with six US-made ATACMS ballistic missiles.

ATACMS has become a useful long-range attack weapon that Ukraine has used to attack Russia. (Source: AFP)

Russia's TASS news agency quoted a statement from the Ministry of Defense stating: "At 3:25 a.m. on November 19, a facility in Bryansk province was attacked with six ballistic missiles. According to confirmed data, they were US-made ATACMS tactical missiles."

Russia's S-400 and Pantsir air defense systems shot down five missiles and damaged the sixth. Falling shrapnel caused a fire at the military facility, but the fire was quickly extinguished.

After the attack, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said this was a clear signal that the West wanted to escalate the conflict in Ukraine.

"In fact, this is not about Ukraine being allowed to use long-range missiles. This is simply a declaration that from now on, they will attack up to 300 kilometers," he said.

Noting that without the US, these high-tech missiles cannot be used, the diplomat also reiterated Russian President Vladimir Putin's words that the Kremlin's position would change if the West allowed Kiev to use long-range missiles with a strike range of up to 300 km to attack targets deep inside the Russian territory.

According to the Russian Foreign Minister, such attacks by Ukraine would mean “direct involvement of NATO member states, the United States and European countries in the conflict”, because the military infrastructure and personnel of this military alliance would have to participate in the targeting and strikes by Kiev.

Previously, on November 17, the New York Times quoted anonymous US officials confirming that President Joe Biden had for the first time allowed Ukraine to use US long-range weapons, including ATACMS missiles, to destroy targets deep inside Russian territory.

For his part, on the same day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke at a joint press conference with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, confirming that Kiev had been allowed by the West to launch long-range strikes deep into Russian territory.

Responding to a question about the possibility of using ATACMS to attack Russia, he stated: “Ukraine has long-range capabilities, it has domestically produced long-range UAVs, it has long-range Neptune winged missiles and not just one. Now we have ATACMS and will use them all.”

Just before Mr. Zelensky’s announcement, Kiev announced that it had completed the production of the first 100 R-360 Neptune missiles. The exact production rate of these missiles is not yet clear, however, experts say that Kiev can produce at least 100 missiles per year.

The new missiles, developed on the basis of previously used technology, have additional extended capabilities and the ability to strike both ground and sea targets.

According to Ukrainian sources, these missiles are designed to strike targets at a distance of 400 km and are superior to the German Taurus missiles in terms of effectiveness. The increased range makes them an important strategic element in the arsenal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (VSU).

The R-360 missile was originally introduced as part of the coastal defense complex, however, the improved version can be used for high-precision strikes on military targets and important infrastructure.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/nong-ukraine-tan-cong-nga-bang-atacms-tu-che-tao-duoc-ten-lua-tam-xa-tong-thong-zelensky-tuyen-bo-se-tan-dung-moi-thu-294364.html