“When we began receiving ATACMS, the application of the first batch exceeded all expectations,” said Danilov.
“Note that air attacks, particularly by helicopters, against our troops have diminished following this.”
Danilov added that the Russians also removed a significant portion of their helicopters from occupied Crimea to more "safe places".
Ukrainian Defense Forces conducted airstrikes on airfields and equipment in the temporarily occupied cities of Berdyansk and Luhansk on the night of Oct. 17. The specific weaponry used in these attacks was not disclosed at the time.
These strikes were subsequently characterized by propagandists as “one of the most significant attacks” since the onset of the full-scale invasion.
Later the same day, several U.S. media outlets, citing anonymous sources, reported that Ukraine had deployed ATACMS missiles supplied by the United States for the first time. This information was subsequently confirmed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
According to the AP news agency, the U.S. had delivered “less than a dozen” ATACMS missiles to Ukraine. However, U.S. newspaper the New York Times, citing two Western officials, stated that the U.S. had dispatched approximately 20 ATACMS missiles with a limited range.
One of the anonymous officials specified that one of the conditions for providing these long-range missiles to Ukraine was the assurance that they would not be used to target Russian territory.