Russia has made a rare admission, saying that a key air defence system and an air base in the Kursk region were hit by Ukraine with US-supplied Atacms missiles.
The defence ministry statement, which threatened retaliation, came a day after Ukraine said it had hit targets in the region.
Tensions have been high since the US reportedly allowed Ukraine to use Atacms missiles on targets inside Russia last week, in response to Russia deploying North Korean troops.
The Defence Ministry said three of the five Atacms missiles were shot down but two reached the target, damaging a radar system and causing casualties.
Also footage posted to social media on Monday – which documented bright flashes in the sky above the border region – claimed to show the moment Atacms missiles were intercepted by Russian air defences elsewhere in the Kursk region.
Russia has made the rare admission that Ukraine used US-supplied Atacms missiles to strike an air base in the Kursk region and a vital air defense system.
Ukraine claimed to have struck targets in the area the day before the defense ministry statement, which threatened retaliation.
Russia launched a record 188 drones in one attack on Monday night, according to Ukraine’s air force, causing damage to vital infrastructure.
Since the US reportedly permitted Ukraine to launch Atacms missiles against targets inside Russia last week in retaliation for Russia’s deployment of North Korean troops, tensions have been high.
The use of Russia’s potent new intermediate-range Oreshnik ballistic missile against the Ukrainian city of Dnipro marked the end of the week.
Russia said that falling fragments caused a fire at a military facility on Tuesday, marking the first Atacms strikes on Russian territory.
However, the attack on Saturday on an S-400 air defense missile battalion at Lotarevka, northwest of Kursk, might be viewed as more significant. The closest Russian counterpart of the US Patriot missile system is thought to be the S-400.
According to the Defense Ministry, two of the five Atacms missiles made it to the target, injured people, and damaged a radar system. Three of the missiles were shot down.
Additionally, it stated that a second strike on Monday on the Khalino (Kursk East) air base resulted in “insignificant damage” after one of Ukraine’s eight missiles managed to breach air defenses.
“Retaliatory measures are being prepared and the situation is under the control of the Russian Federation’s Ministry of Defense,” the statement continued.
It posted images of what it claimed to be air base attack debris.
The Khalino attack was announced on Monday by Russian military bloggers.
Additionally, footage that was shared on social media on Monday purported to capture the moment that Russian air defenses intercepted Atacms missiles elsewhere in the Kursk region. The footage showed bright flashes in the sky above the border region.
Although BBC Verify verified that the video was authentic and shot in Kursk, they were unable to determine whether the flashes were caused by US-supplied missiles.
