Russia's Defense Ministry confirmed on Tuesday it had shot down a "piercing" US missile fired by Ukrainian forces for the first time since the war broke out more than a year ago, while conflicting accounts of the Bakhmout front, where the fiercest fighting is taking place in eastern Ukraine.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced today that its air defenses intercepted a missile carrying a US-made GLSDB bomb.

The U.S. weapon, called the GLSDB (GLSDB), has a range of 150 kilometers, about twice the range of the Himers missiles that previously reached the Ukrainians.

These bombs can fly around terrain or artificial obstacles to hit targets behind mountains, and even behind a target positioned behind the launch vehicle itself.

Ukraine says the missile is necessary for a counter-offensive it is preparing for, with a range of up to 150 kilometers and the United States promised to deliver them to Kiev in early February.

Ukraine has insisted it needs such weapons to destroy Russian supply lines and thus make up for shortages in its manpower and ammunition in preparation for a counteroffensive it says it is preparing to repel Russian forces controlling large parts of southern and eastern Ukraine.


Conflicting narratives

In Pakhmut, where the fiercest fighting in eastern Ukraine has been taking place for weeks, British military intelligence revealed that Russian forces made little progress as they tried to besiege the town, citing heavy losses.

British intelligence suggested in its series of tweets that the tenth tank regiment formed by Moscow in August 2022 to support its war on Ukraine lost a large percentage of its tanks while trying to besiege the town of Avdiivka from the south.

The announcement appeared to refute what was revealed by the Russian military website "Rebar" that the Russian military forces "Wagner" continue to launch offensive operations in the areas north and south of the city of Pakhmut and are advancing further towards the city center from these two directions.

The TASS news agency also reported that Russian forces in Pakhmot took full control of the industrial zone, and the pro-Russian Donetsk authorities confirmed that Russian forces were advancing in the Avdiivka axis.

Meanwhile, the commander of the Ukrainian ground forces, General Alexander Sirsky, said that what he described as Russian occupiers would not give up their attempts to seize Bakhmout.

During his inspection of the fighting forces in Bakhmut, Sirkesi added that the goal of the Ukrainian defenders was to drain the enemy forces, he said.

In other field developments, pro-Russian authorities in the Donetsk province said that Ukrainian forces targeted the city and province of Donetsk with 75 shells of various calibers during the past 24 hours, causing material damage to about 20 residential buildings and infrastructure facilities.

The Ukrainian air force said it had shot down 13 marches that attacked the country from the north and southeast. The Ukrainian General Staff also said that Russian forces carried out seven air strikes and more than 15 attacks on Ukrainian troop positions and civilian infrastructure in eastern and southern Ukraine.

Tanks and armored vehicles

Meanwhile, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said that British Challenger 2 tanks and US armored vehicles, as well as German combat vehicles, are at the disposal of Ukrainian forces.

Reznikov stressed in a statement that the new equipment will strengthen Ukrainian combat units and that his country will liberate all Ukrainian cities.

For its part, the Portuguese Ministry of Defense announced the delivery to Ukraine of three Leopard 2-A26 tanks.

German magazine Der Spiegel quoted unnamed sources as saying that Germany had delivered 18 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, which it pledged to support Kiev in its war with Russia.

About 40 German Marder infantry fighting vehicles have already arrived in Ukraine.