The Ukrainian army has acquired and deployed ATACMS missiles supplied by the USA, reports the New York Times.
Ukrainian forces on Tuesday used American ATACMS missiles for the first time, which Kiev had requested in two months, the New York Times (NYT) reports, citing two members of the American government.
The long-range missiles, whose delivery Washington has not confirmed, were used to bomb a Russian base near Berdyansk in the south and another in Luhansk in the east, the daily said.
United States President Joe Biden, who had long hesitated to make it available to Ukraine for fear it would worsen the conflict, told his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, who was received at the White House in September, that he had agreed to supply the missiles in a reduced-range version, according to the NYT, citing sources close to the conversation.
The version of the rocket, which authorities say was sent to the Ukrainians in limited numbers, is equipped with fragmentation munitions, according to the NYT.
Ukrainian special forces said on Tuesday they bombed two Russian army airfields overnight in Luhansk and Berdyansk, in Russian-occupied territories in eastern and southern Ukraine.
The operation, called “Dragonfly,” resulted in the destruction of runways, nine helicopters, an anti-aircraft system and an ammunition depot, the Ukrainian special forces said in a statement published on Telegram.
They have not released any images of these attacks or their results. The Russian army has not commented at this time, but Moscow very rarely talks about its own losses.
The Telegram channels Rybar and WarGonzo, which are close to the Russian army, reported an attack with ATACMS missiles on an airfield in Berdyansk, without being able to provide any information about the extent of the damage. However, these long-range missiles have not yet been officially delivered to Ukraine by the USA.
Without mentioning this specific case, the Ukrainian president welcomed the fact that his forces managed to attack Russian supply lines while they are engaged in a very difficult counteroffensive to liberate the occupied territories. “I am grateful to those who are destroying the occupiers’ logistics and bases on our territory,” he said in a statement, also thanking his Western allies who had supplied “effective” weapons.