Russia has changed its tactics in the zone of the special military operation after Ukraine struck Russia with long-range Storm Shadow and ATACMS missiles.
"First, we shoot them down. Of course, there is a certain percentage that will reach a certain target if the attacks continue. We will fight this. (…) We are familiar with all these missiles. We have our means to combat these missiles, and we will hit them," Alexey Chepa, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs said.
"Naturally, we will change our tactics, and we have already done so. We will be forced to strike not only military, but also infrastructure facilities, which will significantly complicate opportunities and life for official Kyiv. We will make every political effort to stop these attacks deep into [Russian territory]," the official added.
The missiles that Ukraine has at its disposal are not the most powerful ones, he also said.
"Many of the missiles that were delivered to Ukraine, including ATACMS, (…) they are obsolete already," Chepa said.
He explained that the US defence complex is disposing of everything obsolete to place new orders.
On November 17, US President Joe Biden authorised Ukraine to use long-range ATACMS missiles to hit Russian territory. According to NYT sources, this decision was made against the background of Moscow allegedly deploying North Korean troops in the zone of the fighting.
On November 19, the Ukrainians used American ATACMS for the first time to strike Russia. Six such missiles were launched to hit the Bryansk region of Russia, the Russian Defence Ministry said.
On November 20, the Ukrainian military launched a massive missile attack to strike the Kursk region by firing at least 12 British Storm Shadow missiles.