Russia prepares retaliation for Ukraine's attack on Taganrog airfield, Kremlin warns

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said Russia would take retaliatory measures against Ukraine in response to its attack on the airfield in Taganrog with long-range ATACMS missiles.

“I want to recall the absolutely unambiguous and direct statement of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, which was yesterday [December 11], where it is clearly stated that a response will follow,” Peskov said, Caliber.Az informs, referencing Russian news outlets.

Notably, Ukraine shelled Taganrog on the night of December 10 to 11. As reported by Yuri Slyusar, the acting governor, 14 cars were burned following the strike, an industrial enterprise was also damaged.

The Defense Ministry later specified that the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) tried to attack the airfield in Taganrog - six long-range American ATACMS missiles were fired at it, resulting in injuries to Russian military personnel. Two of the missiles were shot down by a Pantsir anti-aircraft missile and cannon system, while the course of the others was diverted by electronic warfare.

In general, Taganrog has been repeatedly subjected to drone attacks. For example, on the night of March 8 to 9, 2024, the then-acting governor of Rostov Region Vasily Golubev said that air defence forces in the city had repelled a massive UAV attack.

Telegram channel Baza wrote that one of the targets of the drone attack was the territory of an aviation enterprise that is part of the Beriev Scientific and Technical Complex. Mash claimed that “burning debris started a fire at the Beriev Aviation and Research Complex in Taganrog, but it was quickly extinguished,” while two more UAVs “were found on the territory of a local metallurgical plant.”

By Khagan Isayev