Ukrainian forces have increasingly used U.S.-supplied long-range missiles to target Russian airfields and warships behind enemy lines, a practice that has had some success in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory but Washington has banned its extension to Russia itself, limiting its ability to repel a Russian offensive.
Last week, Kiev forces launched three strikes using Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS). The strikes hit air defense systems and a missile ship in Russian-occupied areas in eastern and southern Ukraine, with both sides reporting the attacks and the impact confirmed by Russian intelligence. independent Groups Analyzing battlefield geolocation footage.
Ukraine hopes that by striking at Moscow’s military operational capabilities it will eventually help ease the strain on Russian ground forces in containing a Russian offensive. But fearing an escalation, the United States and other Western allies have allowed Western weapons only into Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory, not into Russia itself.
Ukrainian officials complain that the policy allows Moscow to launch attacks from Russian territory without risk and limits Ukraine’s ability to repel them. “They act calmly, knowing that our partners will not allow us” to launch attacks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a statement. Interviewed by The New York Times “That’s their huge advantage,” they said last week.
Now, Pressure is growing on the Biden administration to reverse the policy In the face of Ukraine’s difficulties on the battlefield. The latest call came on Friday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told The Economist Denies “the possibility that Ukraine could use these weapons against legitimate military targets on Russian territory, making it difficult for them to defend themselves.”
Ukraine does not produce powerful long-range weapons and therefore relies on Western allies to obtain them. But Washington has long refused to even provide ATACMS (pronounced “attack missile”), fearing that doing so would cross the Kremlin’s “red line” and lead to escalation.
President Biden changed that late last year. Approves supply of an ATACMS missile to Ukraine that can hit targets 100 miles away.Then, in April, Washington secretly provided Kiev with new weaponswith a range of approximately 190 miles.
On Friday, the U.S. announced $275 million military aid package The aid to Kiev includes ammunition for HIMARS, a rocket launcher that can fire ATACMS missiles. Zelensky thanked the White House, Say on social media The plan includes “much-needed long-range missiles.”
The missiles allow Ukraine to strike at logistics and command posts behind Russian lines. Kiev targets airfields, ammunition depots, anti-aircraft missile launchers and troop concentrations.
One particular target is the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula, a supply hub for Moscow’s southeastern forces and a launching pad for missile and drone attacks. Moscow has reported several attacks using ATACMS missiles this month.
Last week, the Ukrainian military said it attacked the Crimean port of Sevastopol and damaged a small missile ship. Institute of War StudiesA Washington think tank said satellite images from the aftermath of the attack showed the ship may have been damaged.
In early May, Ukrainian forces attacked Russian air defenses near an air base in Crimea, according to Oryx Military Analysis Website Calculate the damage based on visual evidence.
But Ukrainian officials say Ukraine’s inability to fire weapons into Russian territory gives Moscow a significant advantage, which became more apparent this month when Russian troops opened a new front in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region. Before the offensive, Moscow had massed troops and equipment near the border, but allied policy prohibited Ukraine from targeting them with Western weapons.
After about two weeks of fierce fighting, Zelensky said on Friday The Russian offensive has stalled and the situation is under control. Still, the offensive has given Moscow its largest territorial gain in Ukraine since late 2022.
