KYIV: Ukraine reported that it had successfully targeted a Russian military arsenal near the town of Karachev, located in Russia’s Bryansk region, roughly 110 km (70 miles) from Ukraine’s border. Ukrainian media outlets indicated that this strike marked the first use of U.S.-supplied ATACMS missiles in the ongoing conflict.
While the Ukrainian government did not officially confirm the weapon used in the attack, two major media outlets, Forbes Ukraine and RBC Ukraine, cited anonymous sources who identified the missiles as ATACMS. Ukraine’s military and intelligence services have not yet provided a response to inquiries for comment.
In response, Russia’s Ministry of Defence claimed its forces had intercepted 12 Ukrainian drones in the Bryansk region during the morning hours, with additional reports of four more drones shot down shortly after. TASS, Russia’s state news agency, later reported that Russian air defences had also downed 85 drones and five ballistic missiles launched by Ukraine over a 24-hour period.
Ukrainian officials confirmed the strike on the Russian arsenal was followed by multiple secondary explosions, with 12 detonation events reported in the aftermath.
This strike follows reports from Reuters and other news agencies on Sunday that Kyiv had received U.S. approval to use the ATACMS missiles against deeper Russian targets. Sources indicated that such strikes would commence soon, and reports now suggest that the Karachev strike may have been the first of its kind.
As the conflict intensifies, the use of ATACMS missiles represents a significant escalation, marking the first confirmed instance of the U.S. weapon being deployed against Russian targets in the war.
