The Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday that the air defense system has downed two Ukrainian ATACMS missiles for the first time.
"In the past 24 hours, two US-made ATACMS tactical missiles, a S-200 anti-aircraft missile converted to defeat ground targets, as well as two HARM anti-radar missiles and two US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems were intercepted," the ministry said.
The United States has secretly shipped a small number of ATACMS to provide Kiev with a long-range [about 160 km] strike capability against Russian forces amid the ongoing counteroffensive, media reported last week.
A spokesman for the White House National Security Council confirmed to Sputnik that the United States has already provided Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) to Ukraine for use against Russian forces.
Kiev has received tens of billions of dollars in US security assistance since the Ukraine conflict began. Russia has repeatedly said that further aid to Ukraine will only prolong the conflict without helping to resolve it.