By Yuliia Dysa
(Reuters) -`Ukrainian forces struck airfields in Russian-held territory in eastern and southern Ukraine overnight, destroying helicopters, knocking out an air defence missile launcher and damaging runways, Kyiv's military said on Tuesday.
The military said its forces had carried out "well-aimed strikes on enemy airfields" near the eastern city of Luhansk and the southern city of Berdiansk but gave few details. It did not comment on media reports that Kyiv had used U.S.-provided ATACMS long-range missiles for the first time in the attacks.
Ukrainian Special Forces said nine helicopters, an air defence missile launcher and other equipment had been destroyed, runways had been hit, and heavy losses had been inflicted on Russian forces.
Russia's Defence Ministry did not mention the attacks. Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-installed official in the Zaporizhzhia region which is partly controlled by Moscow, said on the Telegram messaging app that Russian air defences had ensured the attack on the Berdiansk airfield was not successful.
But a number of Russian military bloggers reported the attacks, and the Russian Telegram channel Fighterbomber said Russian forces had suffered losses of personnel and equipment in strikes carried out with ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile Systems).
Citing two unidentified U.S. officials, CNN said Washington had secretly delivered ATACMS to Kyiv and the Wall Street Journal said Ukraine had fired the ATACMS at Russian forces for the first time on Tuesday.
Kyiv has been seeking the missiles to enhance its ability to attack supply lines, air bases and rail networks in Russian-occupied territory but has not confirmed receiving them.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy made no direct mention of the overnight attacks but said after meeting military chiefs: "Thanks also to those who powerfully destroy the logistics and bases of the occupiers on our land."
"There are results. I thank some of our partners: effective weapons, as we agreed," he said.
UKRAINIAN COUNTEROFFENSIVE
Since starting a counteroffensive in early June, Kyiv has frequently attacked military targets in areas Russian forces occupy in Ukraine.
The counteroffensive has made only gradual gains through vast Russian minefields and heavily entrenched Russian positions, and Kyiv says Moscow is attacking in some areas ahead of the second winter since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The Ukrainian military said on Tuesday Russia was hoping to advance as far as possible towards the town of Kupiansk in northeastern Ukraine before winter, and that fighting continued around the town of Avdiivka on the eastern front.
Kyiv says its forces are holding their ground, including around Avdiivka and Kupiansk.
The Institute for the Study of War, an American nonprofit research group, said in its latest report on the conflict that Moscow had made only limited gains in the area around Avdiivka and that the pace of its advance there had slowed.
(Additional reporting by Mike Stone in Washignton, Susan Heavey and Lidia Kelly, Editing by Timothy Heritage and Jonathan Oatis)