Russia has pledged a strong response after claiming to have intercepted eight U.S.-made ATACMS missiles launched by Ukraine on Saturday morning.
The missiles, with a range of up to 300 kilometers (186 miles), are viewed by Moscow as a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict.
According to Russia’s Ministry of Defense, the country’s air defenses successfully shot down the eight ballistic missiles, along with 72 aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles.
“These actions by the Kyiv regime, which is supported by Western curators, will be met with retaliation,” the ministry stated.
The announcement also highlighted that several drones were neutralized in the Leningrad region and one in Kursk. The latter was the site of a surprise Ukrainian attack last summer.
The decision to supply ATACMS to Ukraine was approved in November by outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden, who described the move as a response to Russia’s expansion of the conflict through the deployment of North Korean troops.
In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned of potential retaliation involving the deployment of Russia’s latest nuclear-capable ballistic missile, the “Oreshnik.”
In December, Putin suggested the missile might be launched toward Kyiv as a test of the air defense systems provided by Western nations. Its only launch so far targeted Ukraine’s Dnipro region on November 21.
The intensification of drone attacks has also disrupted Russian infrastructure. TASS, a state media agency, reported temporary restrictions at a St. Petersburg airport following Ukrainian strikes.
Leningrad oblast governor Aleksandr Drozdenko described the night and morning of January 4 as “record-breaking in terms of the number of UAVs destroyed,” noting that four drones were downed in his region.
Ukrainian official Andrii Kovalenko indicated that one of the targets was a seaport in Leningrad, which he described as an “instrument of economic and military survival for Russia in isolation.”
Meanwhile, Russia carried out its own overnight strikes on Ukraine, deploying a total of 81 drones, including Iranian-made Shahed UAVs and other types of drones, according to Ukraine’s Air Force Command. Ukrainian forces managed to intercept 34 Shahed drones and others, but not before damage was inflicted in the Chernihiv and Sumy regions.
As the conflict, which began in February 2022, continues, Ukraine faces increasing pressure.
Russian forces reportedly captured the village of Nadiya in eastern Luhansk and are intensifying their advance in the Donetsk region, where Ukrainian defenses are being pushed back in areas south and east of Pokrovsk.
Adding to Ukraine’s concerns is uncertainty over future U.S. military aid, with incoming President Donald Trump pledging to bring the conflict to an end.
