The Ukrainian military announced it successfully struck a Russian S-400 air defense system and two S-300 systems on the Crimean Peninsula, likely using ATACMS missiles.
“Ukrainian defense forces successfully targeted an S-400 air defense missile battalion near Dzhankoy and two S-300 air defense missile battalions near Chornomorske and Yevpatoriya overnight,” the Ukrainian military announced on social media on June 10.
Dzhankoy, Yevpatoriya, and Chornomorske are locations on the Russian-controlled Crimean Peninsula. According to the Ukrainian military, the strike disabled the radar systems of the S-300/S-400 complexes and caused ammunition explosions in these areas.
“None of our missiles were intercepted by the enemy’s ‘highly effective’ air defense systems,” the statement added, though it did not mention the type of missiles used or provide evidence of the attack.
Rybar, a pro-Russian military account with over a million followers on Telegram often used as an alternative source to Moscow’s official statements, reported on the same day that the Ukrainian military had launched at least 12 ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles at Crimea from the southern Mykolaiv province the previous night.
Russian independent news channel Astra reported that Ukraine had fired at least 10 ATACMS missiles, damaging two S-300 air defense systems and four radars on the peninsula. Four missiles hit Dzhankoy, four struck the Saky airbase southwest of Yevpatoriya, and the remaining two targeted the area near Hromove village, south of Chornomorske on Crimea’s western coast, according to Astra.
Local accounts also reported multiple explosions in Crimea during the night of June 9, including areas around Yevpatoriya and Dzhankoy.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has not commented on the reports.
The U.S. has provided Ukraine with several batches of ATACMS since the start of the conflict. Initially, it only supplied the 165 km range version of ATACMS to Kyiv in the fall of 2023, before secretly transferring a version with double the range in March.
An American official stated that Washington’s goal in providing the long-range ATACMS to Ukraine was to enable more effective strikes on Crimea.
In mid-April, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate (GUR) reported that its forces had destroyed or severely damaged four Russian S-400 launchers during an attack on the Dzhankoy airbase.
Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula following a referendum in 2014, a move deemed illegal by Ukraine and the West. Kyiv remains determined to reclaim Crimea at any cost.
