Analysis of reports on long-range munitions used in the Russia-Ukraine conflict
Recent statements attributed to Lieutenant General Andrei Semenov, commander of the air defense and missile defense forces in the Russian Aerospace Forces, cite the use of American ATACMS missiles by Ukrainian forces against targets inside Russia. The claims describe the missiles as capable of striking both military facilities and civilian areas in a manner intended to intimidate the population, according to Semenov as reported by TASS [Citation: TASS].
The reports characterize ATACMS as moving at velocities exceeding three thousand kilometers per hour and following a sophisticated ballistic trajectory. Semenov noted that these ordnance items can be equipped with cluster warheads, a detail that has been emphasized in the described accounts [Citation: TASS].
Further assertions indicate that Ukrainian forces frequently employ shells from the American HIMARS multiple launch rocket system in this context. The description includes references to cluster submunitions and to the system’s inertial navigation capabilities, which are adjusted with GPS data to improve accuracy in targeting [Citation: TASS].
In addition to ground-launched systems, the reports mention air-launched cruise missiles from Britain and France, including Storm Shadow and Scalp-EG. The accounts claim these missiles can operate at very low altitudes to evade early warning and rely on satellite navigation from the United States and allied nations to refine flight paths and target acquisition [Citation: UK/France sources referenced by press reports].
Earlier coverage in Russia has described ATACMS components as employing cluster submunitions. The ongoing discourse around these weapons reflects continued attention to their deployment in the conflict, with various security and strategic implications discussed by observers [Citation: media outlets cited in coverage].