First interception in Ukraine in over a week
Russia: 500 Ukrainian soldiers killed in Donetsk
Ukraine: “A total of 66 battles in 6 directions”
Russia announced on the 25th (local time) that it had shot down the US long-range missile ATACMS, which was expected to be a ‘game changer’ in the Ukraine battlefield.
According to the TASS news agency, the Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement, “Over the past 24 hours, (Russia’s) air defenses have been attacked by two US-made ATACMS tactical missiles, one S-200 surface-to-air missile modified for striking ground targets, and a US-made tactical air-to-ground anti-radar. “We intercepted two HARM missiles and two US-made high mobility artillery rocket systems HIMARS,” he said.
This is the first time that Russia has announced that it shot down ATACMS.
ATACMS is a weapon that Ukraine has been requesting from the United States for a long time. With a range of about 300 km, it was expected to be a ‘game changer’. It was recently delivered secretly, and the Ukrainian military confirmed that it was used for the first time on the 17th.
In addition, the Russian military announced that it had repelled the Ukrainian army’s counterattack throughout the eastern and southern battlefields over the past day. In particular, it was claimed that more than 500 troops were damaged in the Donetsk region.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said, “More than 500 enemy soldiers were killed or wounded in one day by attacking Ukrainian military units in the Donetsk region,” and added, “We also destroyed an American M777 howitzer.”
It was also said that 160 people were destroyed in the southern Donetsk region and 110 people were killed in the southern Kherson region.
In addition, Russia claimed that it blocked Ukrainian military attacks 15 times in Kupyansk, Kharkiv Region, 3 times in Krasny Liman, a strategic point in the east, and 5 times in southern Zaporozhye Oblast.
He continued, “We shot down two Ukrainian military MiG-29 fighter jets, one Su-25, and one L-39 combat trainer, and also destroyed 51 military drones.”
It was added that the commander’s post of the 15th Regiment of the Ukrainian National Guard was also destroyed near the Baptbryanka settlement in the Russian Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR).
Ukraine also confirmed that battles with Russian forces took place on several battlefields.
According to Ukraine Form, the Ukrainian National Guard repelled Russian attacks from six directions, including Kupyansk, Liman, Bachmut, Audiyivka, Marinka, and Zaporizhia, and said a total of 66 battles took place in these areas.
It was reported that a teenage boy was killed in the Kherson region due to shelling by the Russian army.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.