Ukraine's top general posts first video of Kyiv's forces firing US-made ATACMS at the Russians

• Ukraine said it launched US-made ATACMS on Russian airfields in occupied territory on Tuesday.
• The strikes come after the Biden administration quietly supplied Ukraine with the long-range missiles.

Ukraine's commander-in-chief of the armed forces released the first video footage of the country's new US-supplied ATACMS in action after Ukraine conducted a series of attacks on airfields in Russian-occupied territory on Tuesday.

Early indicators pointed to the ATACMS, or Army Tactical Missile System, being used in the airfield attacks in Beryansk and Luhansk on Tuesday. The US quietly supplied Ukraine with a small number of the long-range missiles in recent days following more than a year of back-and-forth.

General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine's top commander, later confirmed the ATACMS played a role in Tuesday's attacks, posting 30 seconds of footage showing the launch on his Telegram channel.

Kyiv's defense ministry said the attacks in occupied east Ukraine destroyed nine helicopters, an air-defense launcher, vehicles, and ammunition depots. The hits, which were part of "Operation Dragonfly," also damaged airstrips, the country said.

A person familiar with the matter told Insider's Jake Epstein that Ukraine used the M39 variant in the Tuesday strikes, which have a range of around 100 miles and carry 950 anti-personnel and anti-materiel M74 bomblets.

Ukraine had long asked for the long-range missiles, which allow its forces to safely target Russian positions situated further back without having to approach the front lines. Despite initially rejecting Ukraine's requests, the Biden administration reportedly agreed to supply the country with ATACMS last month.

The administration has avoided offering specific details about the delivery thus far.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, however, explicitly thanked the US for the ATACMS during his Tuesday evening address, saying the weapons "have proven themselves."

Military experts have said the ATACMS will allow the Ukrainian forces to hit Moscow's artillery, as well as its supply and communication lines located deep within enemy territory.