The Joe Biden administration, after months of deliberation and hesitation, finally gave Ukraine permission to hit Russian territory with long-range ATACMS missiles. He gave an account The New York Timesciting sources familiar with the matter.
According to the publication’s sources The first target of these attacks will be Russian and North Korean troops in the Kursk regionpart of which the armed forces of Ukraine have held since early August. Russia assembled a force of 50,000 men, including about 10,000 North Korean troops, to push the Ukrainian armed forces out of Kursk, where they controlled an area of almost 1,000 kilometers square
After that, the geography of ATACMS strikes could be expandedsources told the NYT.
The “green light” for long-term strikes is a response to the transfer of military personnel from North Korea to the Russian Federation, whose number, according to Western information, could grow to 100 thousand.
The first ATACMS strikes against Russia will be delivered in the coming days, he says Reutersciting its sources. According to them, a modification of the missiles with a range of 300 km will be used.
Back in September, Kiev sent Washington a list of targets for possible ATACMS strikes against Russia, including weapons and fuel installations and military airfields hundreds of kilometers from the border.
With a maximum range of 300 km, ATACMS can reach nine major Russian cities with a total population of 4.7 million people. According to the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW), within their radius will be two million cities – Rostov-on-Don (population 1.14 million) and Voronezh (1.046 million), as well as several regional centers : Kursk (population – 436 thousand people), Orel (296 thousand people), Bryansk (373 thousand people). Lipetsk (486 thousand people), Smolensk (312 thousand) and Kaluga (329 thousand).
In total, at least 245 Russian military installations are located within the range of the West’s long-range weaponsISW counts. Among them are 16 airfields of Russian military aircraft, as well as bases for Russian units, headquarters, command posts, weapons factories and fuel depots.
The permission to go deep into foreign territory comes after more than two years in which Russia has continued to invade all of Ukraine’s territory indiscriminately with the long-range, bomb-launched and submarine-launched missiles.. These beats the last of them was on the last nightclaiming countless lives and causing massive destruction across Ukraine, including the destruction of most of the country’s electricity generation capacity.
The US decision, which comes about two months before the White House administration changes, could encourage other countries to allow the weapons they supply to be used by Ukraine to go deep into the territory of Russia. We are talking about Great Britain, France and Germany.
In addition to American ATACMS missiles, the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) can use the British Storm Shadow and the almost identical French SCALP. Due to the presence of US components, the UK must obtain permission from the US before agreeing to strikes on Russian territory using the Storm Shadow. Meanwhile, Paris does not need Washington’s approval. A few days ago the British media they reportedthat French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer plan to persuade US President Joe Biden to allow Ukraine to launch long-range Storm Shadow missiles deep into Russia before he leaves the White House .
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has for months opposed the supply of Taurus missiles to Ukraine. The candidate for German Chancellor from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) Friedrich Merz said this week in an interview with the magazine “Stern”, if he wins the election, he intends to issue an ultimatum to Russia: he will ask to stop hostilities in Ukraine and he will give an answer one day. If the demand is not met, Mertz plans to give Ukraine Taurus cruise missiles and lift usage restrictions long-range weapons for attacks on Russian territory. “The German position should be such that Ukraine can successfully defend itself in all possible ways,” he said.
2024-11-17 19:52:00
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What implications could the first strikes with ATACMS missiles have on the broader geopolitical landscape, particularly regarding NATO’s position and relations with other countries involved in the conflict?
1. Can you tell us about the significance of the Joe Biden administration’s decision to authorize Ukraine to use long-range ATACMS missiles against Russian territory? How does this step affect the ongoing conflict between the two countries?
2. What are the main targets of the first strikes using these missiles, and why were these particular locations chosen?
3. How does the use of American-made long-range missiles by Ukraine change the dynamics of the war, and what impact could it have on Russia’s military strategy?
4. What are the potential risks associated with the United States and its allies providing long-range weapons to Ukraine? How might Russia respond to these attacks?
5. What role do you believe these long-range missiles might play in the upcoming negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, if any? Could they potentially lead to a shift in diplomatic efforts or ceasefire talks?
6. How might the decision to authorize long-range missile strikes impact other countries like France and Germany that are also considering arming Ukraine with similar weapons? Will we see a shift in their policies on arming Ukraine?
