Russia Promises Severe Retaliation Following Ukraine's ATACMS Strike on Belgorod
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Moscow, Jan 4 (NationPress) On Saturday, Russia delivered a serious warning to Ukraine, stating that it would take action in response to the Ukrainian Armed Forces' attempts to hit the Belgorod Region with American ATACMS operational-tactical missiles.
According to a statement from the Russian Defence Ministry, these actions taken by the Kyiv regime, with support from Western backers, will lead to retaliatory measures.
The ministry revealed that Ukrainian forces had attempted to carry out an ATACMS strike on Belgorod on Friday.
In the course of the anti-missile engagement, crews operating the S-400 anti-aircraft missile system and the Pantsir-SM anti-aircraft missile and gun system successfully intercepted all ATACMS missiles, as confirmed by the Russian Defence Ministry.
In a significant move, the United States had given Ukraine the green light in November to utilize US long-range missiles for targeting locations deep within Russian territory.
Reports also indicated that the UK and France had similarly permitted Ukraine to deploy their Storm Shadow and SCALP missiles.
Russia has consistently labeled this as an escalation in the ongoing conflict.
On December 12, the Russian government accused Ukrainian forces of conducting a missile attack using Western high-precision weapons on the Taganrog military airfield located in Russia's Rostov region.
The Russian Defence Ministry noted that six US-made ATACMS ballistic missiles were utilized, asserting that two were intercepted while the remainder were neutralized by Russian electronic warfare systems.
Fragments from the fallen missiles resulted in injuries among personnel, according to the ministry.
It was emphasized that this attack involving Western long-range weaponry will not go unanswered, and appropriate responses will be initiated.
When concluding his state visit to Kazakhstan on November 28, Russian President Vladimir Putin was questioned regarding whether the outgoing Biden administration's authorization for Ukraine to strike Russia with ATACMS would impact potential interactions with a future Trump administration.
Putin remarked, 'It is conceivable that the current administration is attempting to create additional challenges for the next one. However, I believe the newly elected president is astute and has considerable experience, and I trust he will find a resolution, especially after facing such a significant challenge in his bid to regain the White House.'
Despite US President-elect Donald Trump claiming he has a strategy to 'end the war' with Russia, Moscow has reiterated its commitment to engage with the incoming US administration while steadfastly defending its national interests.
