Ukrainian army might strike Russian air defenses near Berdiansk with ATACMS - ISW
ATACMS missile (photo: Getty images)
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has identified a second target that the Armed Forces of Ukraine could have used ATACMS missiles against, secretly transferred to Ukraine by the US in March. This target is the Russian S-300 air defense system near the temporarily occupied Berdiansk in the Zaporizhzhia region, according to the ISW report.
According to a senior US official, Ukrainian forces launched ATACMS missile strikes on a Russian military base in occupied Crimea and an unspecified target east of Berdiansk.
ISW notes that geolocation imagery published on April 23 shows Ukrainian forces striking several radars of the Russian S-300 air defense system southeast of the occupied Vuhledar (northeast of Berdiansk).
The Ukrainian military has not yet confirmed this strike.
Secret supply of ATACMS to Ukraine
The Pentagon stated that ATACMS missiles were secretly delivered to Ukraine in early March under the directive of US President Joe Biden.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan stated that the US will continue to supply ATACMS to Ukraine.
According to The New York Times, additional longer-range missiles are included in the recently approved $60.8 billion aid package for Ukraine.
Strike on the airfield in Dzhankoy
The first strike with ATACMS missiles was reportedly carried out on the night of April 17 against a military airfield in the temporarily occupied Dzhankoy.
According to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, as a result of the strike, several Russian air defense assets were destroyed or critically damaged. Also, an air defense control point was hit.
