Ukrainian ATACMS attacks force rapid pullback by Russia as deeper strikes loom with longer-range arms
Russia has pulled attack helicopters further back from the front line in response to Ukraine’s recent attacks with ATACMS missiles, Yuriy Ihnat, spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force Command, said on Ukrainian national television on Nov. 2.
Ihnat was commenting on reports that Russia had redeployed helicopters from Berdyansk in the Russian-occupied part of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Oblast to Taganrog in Russia after an ATACMS strike.
"If the enemy has the means of destruction with the appropriate range and technical characteristics, the adversary must react somehow – it is obvious," Ihnat said.
"This also applies to the cruise missiles we received," he said.
“We saw the consequences in Crimea, and the same happened with the Russian fleet, which withdrew to the bases of Novorossiysk and so on. Therefore, if Ukraine gets means that can reach the enemy to a certain depth, the enemy will react accordingly.”
Read also: Aftermath of Ukrainian ATACMS strike on Berdyansk airfield — video
Ihnat said that he believes that the Russians will react in the same way when Ukraine gets F-16 aircraft.
Defense Express reported that Russia has redeployed Ka-52 and Mi-8 attack helicopters to Taganrog after an attack by ATACMS missiles on the Russian airfield in occupied Berdyansk. This is evidenced by satellite images.
On Oct. 17, the Center for Strategic Communication of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that at night the Ukrainian military attacked helicopters and equipment of the Russian airfields near two temporarily occupied cities.
Later, the Special Operations Forces said that nine helicopters and enemy special equipment were destroyed. The Ukrainian Armed Forces also hit Russian ammunition depots.
Read also: Ukraine strikes Crimea with ATACMS missiles for the first time – The Economist
Earlier, journalists from Radio Liberty’s investigative outlet Skhemy showed satellite photos of Luhansk International Airport and the airfield in Berdyansk, which show the destruction.
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