Ukraine fires US-made ATACMS missiles at Russia amid intensified fighting
Russian defences stopped Ukrainian supersonic ballistic missiles targeting Voronezh, avoiding casualties while damaging a few buildings.
Russia's defence ministry said on Wednesday that Ukrainian forces had fired four US-made ATACMS missiles at the southern Russian city of Voronezh in an attempted strike on civilian targets.
On Tuesday, Ukraine's military said it had attacked military targets in Russia with US-supplied ATACMS missiles, calling it a "significant development."
Kiev received the systems in 2023 but was initially restricted to using them only on its own territories, nearly a fifth of which are controlled by Russia.
"Russian S-400 air defence crews and Pantsir missile and gun systems shot down all ATACMS missiles," Russia's defence ministry said on Telegram.
Falling debris from the destroyed missiles damaged the roofs of a Voronezh retirement home and an orphanage, as well as one house, the ministry said, adding that there were no casualties or injuries among civilians.
The ministry published pictures of pieces of the missiles and said that air reconnaissance forces identified the Kharkiv region as the location of the ATACMS launch.
Russia said it had fired Iskander-M missiles to destroy two Ukrainian multiple rocket launchers.
Ukraine previously attacked Russian territories with US-made ATACMS missiles in January, firing six missiles on Russia's Belgorod region.
After Ukraine fired US ATACMS and British Storm Shadow missiles into Russia last year, Putin ordered a hypersonic missile to be fired at Ukraine.
Russia intensifies strikes on Ukraine
An overnight Russian drone strike wounded at least 36 people in Kharkiv, including two children, the governor Oleg Synegubov said on Wednesday.
Eleven drones hit Slobidsky and Osnoviansky districts, causing fires in a nine-storey building and damaging cars, garages and a supermarket.
Rescuers evacuated 48 people, two children aged nine and 13 were among those wounded, police said, adding "doctors diagnosed the children with acute stress reactions".
Moscow has intensified attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, marking its largest bombing campaign against gas facilities since October.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is touring Europe to seek support for Ukraine’s army and protect critical infrastructure amid winter and stalled peace talks.
Ukrainian troops, exhausted and outnumbered, continue defending the eastern front as Russian forces captured two villages on Tuesday.