US-made missiles fired from Ukraine downed: Russia

KABUL (Pajhwok): Russia claims its air defences have shot down eight ATACMS missiles launched from Ukraine towards Belgorod region.

“On January 3, Ukrainian armed forces attempted to carry out a missile attack on the Belgorod region with US-made ATACMS missiles,” the Defence Ministry in Moscow said.

In a statement, reported by TASS, the ministry said the crews of the S-400 and Pantsir-SM air defence systems shot down all the missiles.

Russian servicemen would avenge the actions of the Western-backed Ukrainian government, the ministry warned.

With a range of up to 300 kilometres, the ballistic missiles were downed alongside 72 aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

According to the ministry statement, several drones were destroyed in the northwestern Leningrad region and one in Kursk.

In the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), TASS said, Ukrainian forces attacked a car carrying Russian journalists with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

Izvestia correspondent Alexander Martemyanov was killed and four other journalists were wounded in the attack.

The Ukrainian armed forces allegedly dropped a munition from a UAV on the car carrying journalists on the Gorlovka-Donetsk highway.

PAN Monitor/mud