 "US soldiers conduct live fire testing at White Sands Missile Range, NM, on Dec. 14, 2021, of early versions of the ATACMS. Source: US Army via AP | FILE.")
Russia on Saturday vowed retaliation against Ukraine’s ATACMS missile attack at the border region of Belgorod earlier during the day.
“On January 3, an attempt was made from Ukrainian territory to launch a missile strike against the Belgorod region using US-made ATACMS operational-tactical missiles,” the Russian defence ministry said, adding that it had successfully shot down the US-made missiles.
“These actions by the Kyiv regime, which is supported by Western curators, will be met with retaliation,” it added.
Outgoing US President Joe Biden has authorised Kyiv to deploy the ATACMS missile system, sparking outrage in Russia with President Vladimir Putin threatening that the use of Western weaponry would invite the use of hypersonic ballistic missiles in central Kyiv.
Meanwhile, US President-elect Donald Trump said in an interview last month he was “very vehemently” opposed to Ukraine using the arms, which he said were “escalating” the conflict.
A Russian strike on a village in Ukraine’s northeast Kharkiv region earlier on Saturday killed a 74-year-old man, regional governor Oleg Synegubov said.
Russia’s defence ministry said on Saturday it had captured the Ukrainian village of Nadiia, one of the few settlements in the eastern Lugansk region still under Kyiv’s control.
Moscow advanced by almost 4,000 square kilometres (1,540 square miles) in Ukraine in 2024, according to an AFP analysis, as Kyiv’s army struggled with chronic manpower shortages and exhaustion.
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More ShortsWith inputs from AFP