Russia: "Shot down US-made missile launched by Ukraine"

Four ATACMS Targeting Crimea Shot Down

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Russia claimed to have shot down US-made long-range surface-to-surface missiles fired by the Ukrainian military over the Crimean Peninsula.

On the 4th (local time), the Russian Ministry of Defense stated in a press release, "The air defense system in the Crimean Peninsula destroyed four ATACMS missiles," adding, "We thwarted Ukraine's attack aimed at terrorizing Russian territory with US ATACMS missiles."

Earlier, the United States secretly provided Ukraine with new ATACMS missiles with a range of 300 km last month and instructed that they be used only within Ukrainian territory.

However, Russia criticized Ukraine for using these missiles beyond its borders. On the 3rd, Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said, "The Crimean Bridge is once again becoming a target," and warned the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) that "any attack on the Crimean Peninsula will fail and will be met with destructive retaliation."

Russia forcibly annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014. Since then, it has turned the area into a military stronghold, concentrating land, sea, and air forces including the Black Sea Fleet headquarters. This is considered one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's greatest achievements.

Meanwhile, since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has been steadily attacking to reclaim the Crimean Peninsula.