Ukraine fires ATACMS carrying cluster bombs at Russian airport

A compilation of videos on social media shows five ATACMS missiles striking a Russian airfield.

According to The War Zone, Ukraine launched its first attack on an airfield in Russian territory using US-supplied ATACMS short-range ballistic missiles on November 25th. The target was Khalino Airport, approximately 100 km from the border, according to media sources and Telegram. This could be the third time Ukraine has fired ATACMS missiles at Russian territory in just one week, after receiving the green light from the US administration.

Satellite imagery obtained by The War Zone shows no obvious serious damage at the airfield, but parts of the image are obscured, making many key areas invisible. The number of aircraft at the base is also limited, as the airfield has long been out of service as a primary operational base for the Russian Air Force.

Videos and images circulating on social media show cluster bomb explosions from a variant of the ATACMS missile at the airport.

Images and location of the Russian airport at the time of the attack.

According to the Telegram channel ASTRA, Ukraine used 7 ATACMS missiles and 12 UAVs in the attack. At least one missile reportedly hit the airfield. Meanwhile, according to the Fighterbomber channel, Ukraine attacked an airfield in the Kursk region with 8 ATACMS missiles.

" The target remains unclear, as no aircraft are stationed there, and the airport could not have been destroyed by such an attack ," they added.

Although some missiles were shot down, ASTRA said at least one struck Khalino airfield, injuring two soldiers. Additionally, a private residence was damaged.

" At night, ATACMS cluster bombs struck Khalino airfield in the Kursk region. Footage of the attack and its geographical location, released by Ukrainian television channels, also shows characteristic images of the M74 cluster bomb explosion on the air base's land ," the Telegram channel Russian Military Informant reported.

Khalino Airport is located approximately 100 km from the border.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces stated that targets in Kursk were among those in Russia attacked by their forces on November 25, but did not specify what the targets in Kursk were or how they were attacked.

Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that seven drones had been shot down over Kursk.

Some U.S. officials believe that Russia has moved aircraft assets out of the airfields within the ATACMS coverage area.

This weapon was used for the first time two days after news broke that the Biden administration had given Ukraine the green light to use it to strike Russian territory. The attack struck an ammunition storage facility near the town of Karachev in the Bryansk region of western Russia, about 110 km from the border. The ATACMS short-range ballistic missile can hit targets up to more than 300 km away.

The Khalino attack occurred more than a day after Ukraine allegedly used ATACMS to attack an S-400 air defense system near the village of Bolshoe Zhirovo in the Kursk region on November 23. This location is about 30 km northwest of the airport.

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/ukraine-ban-atacms-mang-bom-chum-vao-san-bay-nga-ar909797.html