Ukraine and Russia engage in intensifying arms race amid escalating conflict: Russian successfully downs American-made long-range missiles

On Tuesday, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that they had successfully downed several American-made ATACMS long-range missiles in Ukraine. This news comes just days after the delivery of these highly sought-after missiles was confirmed. According to reports from the Russian portal ASTRA, the Ukrainian Armed Forces had used these missiles to launch attacks on the Crimean peninsula, which has been under Russian control since 2014.

The Ukrainian forces reportedly targeted a military airfield in the city of Dzhankoi, resulting in at least five Russian soldiers being wounded. The Russian authorities claimed to have downed six ATACMS missiles and destroyed two French-made Hammer precision bombs and ten unmanned aircraft in addition to these attacks.

Kyiv has been seeking increased support from its international allies, specifically requesting more shipments of long-range ATACMS missiles that have the capacity to hit targets up to 300 kilometers away. They have also asked for a reinforcement of their anti-aircraft defense systems, including the Patriot system.