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What ATACMS first use meant for the front
Summary
Ukraine's first combat use of long-range US missiles drew a sharp Russian response and came amid fresh strikes on Ukrainian cities.
What changed on the battlefield when Ukraine first fired ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles in combat? By 19 October 2023, the question was already prompting a sharp reaction from Moscow.
The first strikes
On 17 October 2023, Ukraine launched ATACMS missiles at Russian bases in Berdiansk and Luhansk. Ukrainian forces said the strikes destroyed nine helicopters and a supply depot and killed several Russian military personnel. The missiles were supplied by the United States as part of military aid to Ukraine during the war.
The targets were air and logistics assets, the kind of facilities that support Russian forces in occupied territory. The strikes came while Ukraine's counteroffensive, launched in early June 2023 and focused mainly on Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, was under way.
Moscow's response
On 18 October 2023, Russia called the US decision to supply the missiles a grave mistake and said it would have serious consequences. The statement placed the weapon at the centre of Russia–United States relations, a day after Ukrainian forces used it for the first time.
Strikes on Ukrainian cities
On the same day, 18 October 2023, Russian missile strikes across Ukraine killed at least 10 people, according to Ukrainian officials. Five of the dead were civilians killed when an apartment building in Zaporizhzhia was hit.
Why it mattered
The sequence was stark: a new long-range capability used against Russian bases, a warning of serious consequences from Moscow, and a new wave of deadly Russian strikes on Ukrainian territory. Later assessments described the counteroffensive as a crucial moment in the war, and the ATACMS debut fell within that period. Ukraine ultimately recaptured 14 villages in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts through the offensive.
