Ukraine is using long-range ATACMS missiles against Russia for the first time
There are several versions of ATACMS missiles with different ranges (archive image)
Quelle: Image Alliance / Photoshot
A significant long-range version of ATACMS missiles was used by Ukraine for the first time. The missiles, which have a range of up to 300 kilometers, were secretly supplied by the US and could tip the balance of power in a war against Russia.
DUkraine has acquired long-range ATACMS missiles from the US to defend itself against Russia's war of aggression. The precision weapons were quietly approved by the US government, the Defense Ministry said on Wednesday. They were part of an emergency military package for Ukraine announced by the US in March, but were not expressly listed as “maintaining its operational security at the request of Ukraine”.
NBC News, citing US government officials, reported that the US-supplied ATACMS was used in last week's attack on Russia's annexed Crimean peninsula and this week's attack on the occupied southeastern city of Berdyansk. In Ukraine.
According to consistent media reports, additional ATACMS missiles will also be included in the military package announced by US President Joe Biden on Wednesday.
The decision to attack the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) with a range of 300 kilometers has been controversial within the US government for months. Short range ATACMS was already issued in September. Among other things, the change in opinion was caused by the Russian military's use of long-range missiles from North Korea. In addition, Russia would have attacked critical infrastructure such as energy supplies. “We warned Russia about these things,” says the government official.
“It was a very well-thought-out decision,” said a US military official
Admiral Christopher Grady, the vice chairman of the US General Staff, told the AP news agency that the long-range weapons should help Ukraine eliminate Russian logistics centers and troop concentrations up front. He would not name specific weapons, but said the systems were “very disruptive when used correctly.”
Grady said the decision to provide the missiles was carefully considered by the US government. “I think it's a very well-thought-out decision,” he said. “But like I said, any time you bring a new system, any change, to a battlefield, you have to think about the seriousness of it.”
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