Ukraine launches ATACMS ballistic missiles at port city of Taganrog, Russia

The Armed Forces of Ukraine struck the port city of Taganrog in southwestern Russia with long-range ballistic missiles. According to unconfirmed reports, these could be US-made ATACMS ballistic missiles, Baza Telegram channel reports.

Photo: commons.wikimedia.org by Russian Ministry of Defense, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Fragments of the ATACMS missile and the Pantsir air defense system in the background (official photo of the Russian Ministry of Defense)

The attack took place at around 4:20 a. m. According to preliminary information, the enemy fired several missiles at the Rostov region.

According to Shot Telegram channel, the Armed Forces of Ukraine launched both ATACMS missiles and Ukrainian-made Palyanitsa drone missiles.

The range of this type of missile reaches 750 kilometers; the missile speed amounts to approximately 900 kilometers per hour. The combat weight of the projectile may range from 30 to 50 kilograms. There is no official information about the type of the missiles that Ukraine used for the attack.

As a result of the attack on Taganrog, a boiler room was seriously damaged. About 27 apartment buildings were left without electricity. According to Rostov region Governor Yuri Slyusar, 14 cars burned in a parking lot, but there were no casualties among the civilian population.

Local residents who witnessed the strike said that there were at least 20 explosions overnight. Walls shook, windows rattled, and people had to hide in their bathrooms.

Ten drones were shot down in the Bryansk region of Russia the same night. A production facility was set on fire as a result of the attack, Bryansk region governor said. The drones targeted a loading point of the Druzhba oil pipeline in the settlement of Sven. 

Russia will respond to missile strike on Taganrog

Russia will use all possible means to give Ukraine an equal response to the missile attack on Taganrog, Alexey Chepa, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs said. The Armed Forces of Ukraine hope to impress their Western masters by striking the Rostov Region of Russia, he added.

Details

Taganrog is a port city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, on the north shore of Taganrog Bay in the Sea of Azov, several kilometers west of the mouth of the Don River. It is in the Black Sea region. Population: 245,120 (2021 Census); 257,681 (2010 Census); 281,947 (2002 Census); 291,622 (1989 Soviet census).