Ukraine launches 12 ATACMS missiles targeting Crimea Bridge

On August 16 at night, Russian air defences intercepted 12 tactical ATACMS missiles that the Armed Forces of Ukraine launched on the Crimean Bridge, the Ministry of Defense said.

Photo: YouTube by Петр Ходжаев

All the missiles were destroyed, the ministry said.

In addition, in the area of ​​Crimea, the Black Sea Fleet and the Russian Aerospace Forces destroyed three unmanned boats of the Ukrainian Navy, and another was damaged.

US officials said that the actions of the Ukrainian forces were in line with Washington's policy regarding the use of weapons transferred to Ukraine. At the end of May, Western countries allowed Kyiv to use the supplied military equipment for strikes on Russia. Yet, the United States ruled out strikes on Russian territory with the use of long-range weapons.

ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) was developed by Lockheed Martin. This is a guided surface-to-surface missile with a maximum range of 300 km launched from multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), such as HIMARS. The United States first officially announced the transfer of ATACMS to Kyiv in October 2023.