Kremlin Confirms Ukraine Used US-Made ATACMS to Strike Targets in Russia

Ukraine has carried out significant strikes against Russian targets, with the Kremlin confirming that Kyiv launched a missile attack on Saturday against S-400 missile positions in Lotarevka, a village in Russia’s Kursk region. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Ukraine used five ATACMS missiles in the attack, with three intercepted and two successfully hitting their targets, as reported by Ria Novosti on Tuesday.

Kyiv has officially acknowledged the strike on the S-400 systems but has not disclosed the specific missiles used. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces issued a statement on Monday confirming that the attack successfully targeted the radar station of the S-400 anti-aircraft missile system. The statement underlined that the targeted S-400 systems had previously been used in a “ground-to-ground” combat mode to strike stationary ground targets, including civilian infrastructure in Ukraine’s front-line regions.

While the General Staff refrained from commenting on an attack against the Kursk-Vostochnyi airfield, the Ukrainian open-source intelligence group CyberBoroshno confirmed that at least two ATACMS cluster missiles struck the airfield.

Ukraine rarely discloses the specific types of missiles or drones used in strikes against Russian territory. However, the White House has affirmed that Ukraine is deploying ATACMS missiles in its operations. Speaking during a press briefing on Monday, U.S. National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby noted, “Right now, they are able to use ATACMS to defend themselves … understandably, that’s taking place in and around Kursk.”

Kirby added that the United States had given Ukraine the necessary guidance to use ATACMS against these specific targets but declined to share further details.