Russia Reveals 2 Dead, Radar Site Damaged, After US-Supplied Missiles Struck Kursk

The Russian Investigative Committee announced Wednesday that is has opened a formal probe into a ‘terrorist act’ launched from Ukraine which resulted in the deaths of two Russians in the Kursk region. “A criminal case has been initiated over the deaths of two individuals in Russia’s Kursk Region after the Ukrainian military struck the area with ATACMS missiles on November 23,” a statement in Moscow-funded media said.

Crucially this is the first time Russian authorities have acknowledged that the US-supplied long range system has killed Russians. It is a rare and unexpected admission, and is likely geared toward showing the Russian population and Moscow’s allies that it faces an existential threat from NATO.

“On November 23, Ukraine attacked the positions of an S-400 air defense system division with five ATACMS missiles in the Kursk Region, three missiles were shot down and two reached their target,” according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

The statement further acknowledged that a radar station was damaged and that soldiers were injured.

“A criminal case has been opened against Ukrainian militants involved in the shelling of civilians in the Fatezh district of the Kursk Region,” the Russian investigative committee said.

There have been at least two rounds of attacks on Russian territory with US-made ATACMS since Washington gave the greenlight for Kiev to use them last week. According to more details in Russian media:

Last Saturday, Ukrainian forces fired US-provided ATACMS ballistic missiles at an air-defense battery stationed a few kilometers from Bolshoye Zhirovo, according to a Russian military report.

Another ATACMS strike followed on Monday, the Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday. In both cases, some of the weapons were intercepted, but others caused damage on the ground and injured military personnel.

And BBC has observed of the escalation, “But Monday’s strike on an S-400 air-defense missile battalion at Lotarevka northwest of Kursk on Saturday could be seen as more serious. The S-400 is considered the closest Russian equivalent of the US Patriot missile system.”

Pantsir anti-air system and a remnant of a shot down ATACMS missile on the same image from Kursk: pic.twitter.com/aBSMpZ4tjO

— Bashkarma🇺🇸🌏🇷🇺 (@Karmabash) November 26, 2024

Photos have also been published showing debris from the US missiles. Russia’s defense ministry says it is now preparing a significant ‘retaliation’ for these latest attacks, at a moment ground forces are still trying to repel Ukrainian forces’ occupation of Kursk oblast.