On Saturday the Russian defence ministry said it shot down four so-called ATACMS missiles over Crimea that had been recently shipped by the US to Ukraine. Photograph: Grigory Sokolov/Pools/AFP via Getty ImagesThe Russian defence ministry said on Saturday its air defence forces shot down four US-produced long-range missiles over the Crimea peninsular, weapons known as Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) that Washington has shipped to Ukraine in recent weeks. On Tuesday, Russian officials said Ukraine had attacked Crimea with ATACMS in an attempt to pierce Russian air defences of the annexed peninsula but that six had been shot down. A US official said in Washington last month that the United States secretly shipped long-range missiles to Ukraine in recent weeks. The Pentagon initially opposed the long-range missile deployment, concerned that taking the missiles from the American stockpile would hurt US military readiness.

Source: The Irish Times May 05, 2024 09:26 UTC