RUSSIA – The Russian Defense Ministry on Wednesday said that Ukrainian forces had launched 4 American ATACMS at 2.31 pm Moscow time (GMT1131) targeting civilians in Voronezh on Tuesday.

“All missiles were intercepted by Russian air defense systems S-400 and Pantsir,” it added.

However, debris from the ATACMS damaged the roofs of a gerontology center and orphanage.

No civilian casualties or injuries were reported.

The location in Kharkiv Oblast, near the village of Volosskaya Balakleya, from where the ATACMS missiles were fired, was promptly identified. The Russian military destroyed two launchers with ammunition using the Iskander missile system, the ministry said.

On Tuesday, Voronezh Region Governor Aleksandr Gusev announced on Telegram that air defense forces shot down multiple aerial targets above Voronezh, without specifying their type.

According to Gusev, there were no victims, but debris damaged the roof of a private house and a car.

Ukraine already used ATACMS missiles to strike Russia in January. These weapons are supplied to Kyiv by the US.

In March, American media reported that Ukraine ran out of ATACMS stockpiles. In July, reports indicated discussions in Washington about resuming deliveries to Ukraine.

The Hunt for the ATACMS Launchers

The Defense Ministry added that after the missiles were intercepted, the Russian forces were able to locate the ATACMS launch site in Ukraine’s Kharkov Region shortly after the attack.

2 of the launchers were said to be located near Voloskaya Balakleya village, where the Iskander-M missile crew targeted them and destroyed them together with ammunition and at least 10 Ukrainian military personnel were killed.

ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) refers to guided ballistic missiles with a maximum range of 300 km (186 miles) and fragmentation-high explosive or cluster warheads.