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Until now, this was one of the conditions for the weapons that were given to Ukraine: they could not be used on the territory of. Britain will allow this from now on, British Foreign Minister Cameron announced yesterday when he visited Kyiv. It shows that there is a change in the opinion of the allies of Ukraine.
“The West has always been deterred by the Russian narrative: if you take this next step, it will be an escalation,” said Patrick Bolder of The Hague Center for Strategic Studies (HCSS) in the News NOS Radio 1. “I think that record is now grayed out.”
“We are going to look at the war that has been going on for so long in a different way. Something has to change. One of those things is to give Ukraine more freedom of action and impose fewer restrictions,” says Bolder.
Stop being offensive
By using the weapons for attacks on Russian territory, Ukraine can respond earlier to threatened Russian attacks. “There is talk of 20,000 troops that Russia is massing north of the border with Ukraine,” Bolder said. “You can use that as a buffer to make the break-in easier after an attempt start Then Ukraine could suddenly lose a lot of ground, and nobody wants that.”
In recent weeks, Russian troops have also made progress in the Donetsk region. The pictures below show the destruction of the village of Otsjeretyne.
Drone footage shows a Ukrainian town destroyed by Russian airstrikes
By attacking targets on Russian territory, Ukraine can prepare for an offensive in Russia. “It’s better to counter the source than to counter the symptoms,” says Bolder. “Counting the sources means: attacking Russia more deeply to ensure that shoot those missiles and drones again. Better try to stop the attack now by launching long range attacks on those troop positions, supply ammunition and fuel supply”.
Of the weapons provided by the British, the Stormshadow cruise missiles will be particularly useful. These cruise missiles have a range of 250 kilometers. Ukraine has been using these long-range missiles for some time.
Press Scholz
“Cameron’s statement is an important signal for Zelensky, but especially for Putin,” said Leiden University professor of war studies Frans Osinga. “And to German Chancellor Scholz who does not want to deliver the Taurus missiles, for fear that they will be used against targets in Russia, which could be seen as an escalation. “
“Cameron’s statement should also be seen alongside similar strong statements by French President Marcon and American Defense Secretary Lloyd,” says Osinga. “This also separates itself from previous statements by the White House security adviser who asked Zelensky to stop attacking targets in Russia.”
However, Bolder believes NATO allies may be surprised by Cameron’s statement. “It seems that there is not much consultation. That is logical, because NATO and the EU do not provide support, they are the individual member states.”
Ukraine has been using weapons to attack areas occupied by Russia for some time. For example, it was announced last week that the United States had secretly delivered Atacms missiles to Ukraine in April. The latest long-range missiles have a range of 300 kilometers, while previous Atacms missiles had a range of 150 kilometers.
The Russian Ministry of Defense reported this week that Atacms missiles were shot down twice over Crimea. That Ukrainian peninsula was annexed by Russia in 2014. Ukrainian authorities have not confirmed this.
2024-05-04 09:49:28
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