The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed on Tuesday that it had shot down a US long-range GLSDB missile, in the first confirmation that the weapons had been delivered to Ukraine , which it deems necessary to launch a counterattack.

"The anti-aircraft defense shot down... 18 HIMARS missiles and a GLSDB guided missile," the ministry said in a statement about these missiles, which have a range of 150 kilometers, and the United States promised to deliver them to Kiev in early February.

The Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb, which means "the small-diameter bomb launched from the ground", is a small-diameter, high-precision device manufactured by the American companies "Boeing" and the Swedish "Saab". It can fly up to 150 kilometers and thus threaten Russian positions, especially ammunition depots.

Ukraine insisted that it needs these weapons to destroy Russian supply lines and thus compensate for the shortage of its manpower and ammunition in preparation for its next counterattack to repel the Russian forces that occupy large parts of southern and eastern Ukraine.

Westerners were reluctant to deliver long-range missile systems to Ukraine for fear of using them to strike Russian territory and cause an escalation of the war.

But Kiev has pledged several times that it will only use it to attack targets in the occupied territories.

On February 3, the United States announced that it would deliver GLSDB missiles to Ukraine, without specifying a date.