Russia claimed its air defenses shot down eight Ukrainian ballistic missiles on Nov. 25 but provided no details on the missile types or locations of interception.
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that on Nov. 25, Ukraine launched another strike with eight ATACMS operational-tactical missiles at the Kursk-Vostochny airfield in the Russian settlement of Khalino, vowing “response actions.”
“Over the past three days, the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) launched two strikes with long-range Western weapons on targets in the Kursk region,” the report said.
The ministry clarified that on Nov. 23, five American-made ATACMS missiles were launched at the settlement of Khalino, 37 km northwest of Kursk, targeting the position of the S-400 anti-aircraft missile division.
Russia claimed that the Pantsir anti-aircraft missile system destroyed three of the ATACMS missiles, while two reached their target, damaging a radar station and causing casualties among personnel.
Regarding the Nov. 25 strike, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that seven ATACMS missiles targeted combat crews of the S-400 and Pantsir anti-aircraft missile systems, but only one missile reached its target. The report read that falling missile fragments caused minor injuries to two servicemen and slight damage to infrastructure.
During an inspection of the areas targeted by the strikes, it was “reliably confirmed” that the AFU had used American-made ATACMS operational-tactical missiles, the ministry added.
“The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation is closely monitoring the situation and preparing response actions,” the report read.
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On Nov. 25, Russia claimed its air defenses shot down eight Ukrainian ballistic missiles but provided no details on the missile types or locations of the interception.
Tensions between Moscow and Ukraine’s Western allies have escalated with the arrival of North Korean troops supporting Russia and an increase in Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities. In response, Washington approved Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied long-range missiles to target Russian military sites.
On Nov. 19, Ukraine launched U.S.-made ATACMS missiles into Russian territory for the first time, following President Joe Biden's approval. Russian state news agency TASS, citing the Russian Defense Ministry, reported that AFU struck a facility in the Bryansk region with six ATACMS ballistic missiles. The 67th arsenal of the Russian Missile and Artillery Directorate, near the town of Karachev, was targeted.
On the same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree lowering the threshold for deploying nuclear weapons, a move that was swiftly condemned by Western nations as “irresponsible.”
Soon after, on Nov.20, rumors spread on Ukrainian social media about a potential Russian retaliatory strike involving the RS-26 Rubezh missile, which has a range of 6,000 kilometers (3,728 miles).
On Nov. 21, Russia launched the Oreshnik (Hazel Tree), a new intermediate-range ballistic missile, at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. Putin described the missile as nuclear-capable but confirmed it was deployed in a non-nuclear, hypersonic configuration.
In a televised address, Putin praised the missile’s successful combat test, announcing plans for further tests and serial production.