MOSCOW, November 27. /TASS/. Moscow is taking all necessary measures to establish an echeloned system of air and missile defenses to ensure the interception of US-made ATACMS and other missiles, Alexander Stepanov, program director of the Academy of Political Sciences and senior researcher at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Latin American Studies, told TASS.

"As for the capacity of our air and missile defenses in relation to high-precision weapons, namely ATACMS missiles, the methods are well-established, but it depends on specific factors in different areas. The reason is that, as we know, they target not only, or even primarily, military facilities, but also attempt to strike residential buildings and civilian infrastructure. That said, every effort is being made to establish an echeloned air and missile defense system capable of ensuring the interception of ATACMS missiles and all other weapons," he noted.

Stepanov pointed out that "this also applies to intermediate-range high-precision systems such as the Tomahawk and other weapons that NATO countries may provide to Ukraine."

The expert also emphasized that there are no restrictions on Russia’s use of weapons like the Oreshnik missile system in response to Kiev’s strikes inside Russian territory. "Especially considering that the Kiev regime is using terrorist tactics against Russian regions and civilians," Stepanov specified.

He stressed that Russia is essentially fighting "against international terrorism that NATO nations are actively supporting and equipping with high-precision weapons." "Reports of high-precision strikes on civilian targets are the clearest evidence of this. We all remember the ATACMS strike on a peaceful beach, which resulted in civilian fatalities, particularly among children," the analyst added.

ATACMS, Oreshnik strikes

The Russian Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday that the Ukrainian armed forces had launched two strikes using long-range weapons—US-made ATACMS missiles—on targets in Russia’s Kursk Region over the past three days. The strikes targeted the positions of an S-400 anti-aircraft battalion at the Kursk Vostochny airfield in the settlement of Khalino, causing casualties among personnel. The Russian Defense Ministry stated that it was in control of the situation and was evaluating response options.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on November 21 that US-and UK-made missiles had struck military facilities in the Kursk and Bryansk regions following a decision by the US and its NATO allies to authorize the use of their long-range weapons against Russia. According to Putin, in retaliation for these attacks, Russia used its newest Oreshnik non-nuclear hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missiles for the first time against Ukraine’s Yuzhmash defense industry facility in the city of Dnepr (formerly Dnepropetrovsk). The Russian leader emphasized that the West could face severe consequences if its provocative policies further escalate the conflict.