Ukraine has attacked the Russian hinterland for the first time again with US ATACMS missiles.Image: keystone
November 19, 2025, 09:59November 19, 2025, 09:59
For the first time, Ukraine has attacked the Russian hinterland with US ATACMS missiles – this time the Voronezh region. The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed information from the Ukrainian General Staff about the use of these long-range missiles.
A total of four ATACMS were destroyed. According to the ministry in Moscow, debris from rockets hit the roof of a gerontological center, a home for orphans and a private property. There are no deaths or injuries among the civilian population.
Kiev announced the attacks against military objects in the Russian hinterland on Tuesday without giving any details. According to the media, there is a military airfield in Voronezh from which attacks on Ukraine are carried out with Su-34 fighter jets. The ministry in Moscow, however, claimed that Kiev had attacked civilian objects with US missiles.
According to the media, US President Donald Trump declared his willingness to lift restrictions on the use of long-range US missiles after a meeting with Ukrainian head of state Volodymyr Zelensky in September. According to Russian media, this is the first use of the ATACMS missiles since Trump took office. Such attacks against targets in Russia had already taken place under Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden.
Russia: Launch facilities destroyed in Kharkiv region
According to Russian information, all ATACMS missiles were shot down by anti-aircraft defenses. The ministry initially published unverifiable photos that were said to show remains of the destroyed rockets.
At the same time, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that it had successfully carried out a counterstrike with Iskander missiles against the launch pads for US missiles in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine. It was said that the facilities had been destroyed. A video published about this, presumably showing the ramps being shot down, could not initially be verified.
There was no confirmation from the Ukrainian side that the facilities had been destroyed. However, Russian attacks in the Kharkiv region left more than 30 injured, severe damage to buildings and burned-out cars.
Ukraine has been defending itself against the Russian war of aggression with Western military aid for more than three and a half years. (sda/dpa)