Russia shoots down 6 US missiles launched from Ukraine

Russia said it managed to shoot down at least six US-made ATACMS missiles fired by Ukraine towards Crimea.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Russian Defense Ministry said Ukrainian forces launched a missile attack against the Crimean Peninsula overnight, but Russian air defense systems intercepted six US-made MGM-140 tactical missile systems (ATACMS) over the region.

"Ten Ukrainian drones, six US-made ATACMS tactical missiles and two French-made Hammer guided bombs were shot down by air defenses," the Russian Defense Ministry said.

On April 24, it was revealed that Washington had sent long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine in recent weeks. The newly sent missiles have nearly twice the range of the HIMARS missiles that the US began sending to Ukraine late last year.

Kiev has repeatedly asked its Western allies to provide it with long-range ATACMS missiles, which have a range of about 300 kilometers.