MOSCOW – Reuters:
The Russian Defense Ministry said its air defenses shot down four US-made long-range missiles over the Crimean peninsula, which are warheads…
The military tactical missile systems that the United States has sent to Ukraine in the past few weeks.
Russian officials said Ukraine attacked Crimea with a tactical missile system in an attempt to penetrate Russian air defenses on the peninsula, which Moscow has annexed, and they said six missiles were shot down.
A US official said last month that the United States had secretly sent long-range missiles to Ukraine in the past few weeks.
The official said the tactical missile system, which has a strike range of up to 300 kilometers, was first used in the early hours of April 17 by firing at a Russian air base in Crimea, about 165 kilometers from the Ukrainian front.
The Pentagon initially opposed the deployment of long-range missiles and expressed concerns that withdrawing the missiles from the US stockpile would have a negative impact on US military preparedness.
There were also fears that Ukraine would use it to attack targets inside Russia, a move that could escalate the war into conflict.
Directly between Russia and the United States.
Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and its fleet is based in the Black Sea there.
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron on Thursday pledged to provide three billion pounds ($3.7 billion) of annual military aid to Ukraine “for as long as necessary,” adding that London did not oppose Russia’s use of its weapons inside. , which was strongly criticized by Moscow. ,