Ukraine Strikes Russian Aviation Facility with US-Supplied ATACMS
Ukraine launched a targeted missile strike on Wednesday hitting a military facility in Taganrog, Rostov Oblast, located within Russian territory. The strike reportedly utilized U.S.-supplied Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS).
The attack damaged a key industrial site, which local Russian officials identified as a boiler plant, disrupting heating supply to multiple residential buildings in Taganrog.
Taganrog Mayor Svetlana Kambulova said 27 apartment buildings had temporarily lost heating services as a result of the strike. Videos posted on social media captured explosions at approximately 3:30 a.m. local time, with loud detonations and fire visible across the city, which sits roughly 100 miles from the front lines of the war.
According to Russia’s Ministry of Defense, Ukraine fired six ATACMS missiles during the attack. Two of which were intercepted by Pantsir air defense systems, while the remaining four were allegedly diverted using electronic warfare technology.
Russia’s Defense Ministry described the recent incident as an attack on its “military airfield” and declared that Ukraine’s use of Western long-range precision weapons would not go unanswered.
A U.S. official suggested that Russia could retaliate by launching another experimental intermediate-range hypersonic missile, known as the Oreshnik into Ukraine.
On Tuesday, Ukrainian forces also struck the Druzhba oil pipeline near the city of Bryansk, approximately 60 miles from the Ukrainian border. According to Ukraine’s General Staff, the pipeline was used as a fuel loading and distribution hub to supply Russian military forces. Ukrainian officials claimed the attack caused a massive fire at the facility.
