Breaking: US Unleashes Advanced Long-Range Missiles for Ukraine, Reveals Insider Sources
The US has reportedly supplied Ukraine with covertly delivered long-range ATACMS missiles, as confirmed by two US officials Social media images circulating within Ukraine revealed the presence of the missiles' submunitions
Two US officials have confirmed that the US secretly supplied Ukraine with long-range ATACMS missiles. The confirmation came on Tuesday following the circulation of images depicting the missiles' submunitions within Ukraine on social media.
The exact timing of the provision of the US missiles remains unclear. However, in recent weeks, the US chose to send them discreetly in order to catch the Russians off guard. This decision came after months of public debate over whether President Joe Biden would agree to send the weapons. According to an official, the Russians already know the missiles' range, and there was a concern that they would relocate their equipment and weapons to avoid being reached before the missiles could be utilized.
US officials informed CNN on Tuesday that Ukraine utilized the ATACMS, with certain versions capable of reaching a maximum distance of roughly 186 miles, to strike the Berdyansk and Luhansk airfields in eastern Ukraine this week. The Ukrainian military tweeted that the assault resulted in the destruction of multiple Russian helicopters, an ammunition depot, and an air defense launcher, but did not clarify if ATACMS was employed for this purpose.
In previous instances, the US covertly supplied weapons. In August 2022, the Pentagon admitted to clandestinely sending HARM anti-radiation missiles to Ukraine.
The U.S. usually makes public announcements regarding large-scale weapons shipments to Ukraine, such as last year's deployment of Patriot air defense systems and this year's provision of cluster munitions. When questioned about the current status of these systems, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin consistently responded that the U.S. has no updates to share. This carefully chosen wording was intentional, according to officials.
Regarding inquiries about the ATACMS, the Pentagon has directed all questions to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
CNN reported that discussions regarding the sending of systems had significantly increased last month. US officials had initially hesitated to send the long-range surface-to-surface guided missiles due to concerns about escalating the conflict, as they could be potentially fired into Russia. However, this concern has diminished in recent months as Ukraine has shown that it is not using other weapons provided by the US to attack Russian territory. This is a developing story and will be updated.
