Russia Claims Two More ATACMS Missile Strikes by Ukraine, Threatens Retaliation

Moscow: The Russian military announced on Tuesday that Ukraine had carried out two more attacks on its territory in recent days using US-provided ATACMS missiles. In a statement shared on Telegram, Russia’s defence ministry stated that the strikes took place on November 23 and 25, targeting military facilities and an airfield in the western Kursk region, resulting in some infrastructure damage.  

'Retaliatory Actions Being Prepared'

Ukraine launched these long-range missiles into Russia for the first time last week. "Retaliatory actions are being prepared," the Russian defence ministry stated in a Telegram post, though it provided no further details.  

Ukraine fired several American-supplied longer-range missiles into Russia, officials said last week, marking the first time Kyiv used the weapons that way in 1,000 days of war.

The use of the Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS, came as Russian President Vladimir Putin formally lowered the threshold for using nuclear weapons, opening the door to a potential nuclear response by Moscow to even a conventional attack by any nation supported by nuclear power. That could include Ukrainian attacks backed by the U.S.

A Telegram channel affiliated with the Ukrainian military posted a video that it says shows U.S.-supplied ATACMS missiles being fired from an undisclosed location in Ukraine.

According to a U.S. official, Ukraine fired about eight of the missiles, and just two were intercepted by the Russians.

The official said that the U.S. was still assessing battle damage, but that the missiles struck an ammunition supply location in Karachev, a city of about 18,000 people in Russia’s Bryansk region.

Russia Expels British Diplomat After Accusing Him of Spying

On the other hand, Russian authorities ordered a British diplomat to leave the country on allegations of spying as tensions soar over the conflict in Ukraine.

Russia's Federal Security Service, the top domestic security and counterintelligence agency, said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies that the diplomat had provided false personal data while seeking permission to enter the country.

The agency, known under its Russian acronym FSB, alleged that he has worked for British intelligence under diplomatic cover, replacing one of the six British diplomats who were expelled from Russia in August. The FSB alleged that the diplomat was involved in “intelligence and subversive activities that threatened the security of the Russian Federation.”

Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that a decision has made to revoke the diplomat's accreditation and he has been ordered to leave the country within two weeks. She said that the ministry has summoned the British ambassador to hand over the notice.