Russia says shot down 8 US ATACMS – DW – 01/04/2025

Pro-Ukrainian protesters in Slovakia held a rally against Prime Minister Robert Fico in Bratislava on Friday.

Protesters gathered outside the government’s office, under the slogan “Slovakia is Europe! We’ve had enough of Russia!”.

The protest was organized by the initiative “Mier Ukrajine” (Peace for Ukraine), which advocates for arms deliveries to Ukraine. Initiative members said the number of those who took part in the rally was estimated to be around 4,000.

Protesters carried banners which read: “Treason!” and “We are Europe!” distributed by the initiative. 

Organizers accused the leftist-populist prime minister of taking Slovakia into a pro-Russia direction.

Fico had recently clashed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, after Kyiv halted gas transfer from Russia to Slovakia.

Russian authorities had to temporarily halt operations at the airport in St. Petersburg, citing safety reasons.

Takeoff and landing at Pulkovo Airport were suspended for a few hours, amid reports of Ukrainian drones in the vicinity.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said 16 Ukrainian drones over the regions of Bryansk, Smolensk, Belgorod, Pskov and Leningrad were destroyed overnight. The regions all surround St. Petersburg.

Operations resumed again later on Saturday, a representative of Russia’s aviation watchdog Rosaviatsia said.

Russian forces have shot down eight US-made ATACMS missiles, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday.

“Air defense systems downed eight ATACMS US-made missiles and 72 drones,” the Russian defense forces told news agencies. They did not specify whether there were any casualties or damage.

ATACMS missiles have a range of up to 300 kilometers (190 miles), as per publicly available data. The administration of outgoing US President Joe Biden  has supplied Ukraine with the missiles, which are capable of penetrating inside Russia.

Moscow has warned that their use by Ukraine could trigger a hypersonic ballistic missile attack on central Kyiv.

Also Saturday, Moscow said it had taken control of the village of Nadiya in Ukraine’s eastern Luhansk region. The reports could not be immediately verified.

rm/wd (Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa)