Ireland calls ATACMS missiles disgraced in Ukraine conflict

Russian air defenses have successfully shot down the US ATACMS tactical missiles launched by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) on Russian territory. Irish journalist Chay Bose wrote this on January 5 on the social network X (formerly Twitter).

"[The missiles], which are supposed to 'change the rules of the game,' have been added to the Leopard and Abrams tanks on the 'embarrassed' list," he pointed out in the publication.

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The day before, on January 4, the Russian Defense Ministry reported eight ATACMS missiles shot down. As the ministry noted, all eight projectiles used by the AFU for the attack were shot down by the S-400 and Pantsir-SM air defense systems of the Russian Armed Forces.

In late December 2024, The New York Times noted that the United States and NATO are recommending that Ukraine use more sparingly the U.S . long-range ATACMS missiles supplied to it, which are in limited supply.

Ukrainian militants have been trying to strike Russian territories amid a special operation in Donbass, the start of which was announced on February 24, 2022. The decision was taken due to the aggravation of the situation in the region due to shelling by the Ukrainian military.