Ukraine used US-supplied ATACMS to hit Russia air defenses in Crimea: reports

• Ukraine used at least 10 US-supplied ATACMS to hit Russian air defenses in Crimea, per reports.
• Ukraine’s Army General Staff said it hit an S-400 “Triumf” and two S-300 air-defense missile systems.
• This would be one of the first strikes Ukraine launched against Crimea using the US-supplied weapons.

Ukraine used at least 10 US-supplied Army Tactical Missile Systems, known as ATACMS, to hit Russian air defenses in Crimea on Monday, according to reports.

Ten missiles hit the 31st Air Defense Division of the Russian Defense Ministry in occupied Crimea, Russian independent Telegram channel Astra reported on Monday, citing unnamed sources.

The strikes killed one soldier, wounded six, and damaged two S-300 missile systems and four radars, the outlet reported.

Prominent Russian blogger Rybar went further, saying Ukraine launched at least 12 ATACMS from the Mykolaiv region, which hit Chernomorsky, Yevpatoria, and Dzhankoy on Monday.

Schemes, part of Radio Liberty, shared satellite images of what it said were before and aftermath images of a military facility in the city of Dzhankoy in occupied Crimea on Monday.

The images, which the outlet dated April 27, May 20, and June 10, show an air-defense system in the area in May, with fortifications being built later, it said.

It said the quality of the satellite images did not allow it to identify the type of equipment that was hit.

One image of the aftermath shows a trail of burned land.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine appeared to confirm some of the details in a Facebook post on Monday.

It said it launched strikes on a Russian S-400 “Triumf” missile system and two S-300 missile systems overnight on Monday.

It said none of its missiles were intercepted, but did not specify which type of missiles were used.

In a report on Monday, Washington DC-based think tank the Institute for the Study of War said Ukraine likely used ATACMS in the attack.

Business Insider couldn’t independently verify details of the attack or the type of missile launched in the strike. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

If true, this would be one of the first ATACMS strikes Ukraine has launched against Crimea since the US secretly sent the country about 100 ATACMS in April.

Ukraine has already reportedly used one of the missiles to take out more than 100 Russian soldiers stationed 50 miles from the front line in occupied Luhansk Oblast, showcasing the missile’s range and power.

Philip Karber, a military analyst with expertise on Ukraine, told Radio Free Europe in April that the weapons “could basically make Crimea militarily worthless.”

On Wednesday, Ukraine said its troops launched another missile strike on Crimea overnight, on an S-300 missile system and two S-400 missile systems.