Russia vows 'retaliation' after Ukraine fires US-supplied ATACMS missiles

Hours after Ukraine fired eight US-supplied Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles on Saturday (Jan 4), Russia said that it shot down the missiles and warned that they would retaliate. 

"These actions by the Kyiv regime, which is supported by Western curators, will be met with retaliation," the Russian defence ministry said.

Russia said that it shot down eight US-supplied ATACMS, for which Moscow warned that the use of those missiles could spark a hypersonic ballistic missile attack on central Kyiv. 

Further, the Kremlin denounced that it could cause grave escalation. 

"Air defense systems downed eight ATACMS US-made missiles and 72 drones," the Russian Defense Ministry said.

US President Joe Biden authorised Ukraine to use these long-range missiles to attack inside Russia last year. 

Ukraine struck Russia with US-made long-range missiles for the first time in November, even as Russian President Vladimir Putin talked of a 'nuclear response'. 

The ministry said that Kyiv fired six US-made ATACMS at Russia’s Bryansk region.

The Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) is a surface-to-surface ballistic missile that can hit targets at up to 300 km. 

The range of the missile makes it particularly significant for Ukraine. 

ATACMS was built by the defence manufacturer Lockheed Martin. They are fuelled by solid rocket propellant and follow a ballistic path into the atmosphere before coming back down at a high speed and high angle, which makes them difficult to intercept.