Ukraine Strikes Missile System Inside Russian Territory with Western Support
Following recent authorization from US President Joe Biden, Ukraine successfully targets a missile system within Russian borders near Kharkiv using Western weaponry.
Ukrainian forces announced on Monday that they had managed to target a Russian S-300 missile system with weapons provided by Western countries within Russian borders.
A Ukrainian government minister, Iryna Vereshchuk, shared on Facebook a photo of the strike, stating, "It burns beautifully. It’s a Russian S-300. On Russian territory. The first days after permission to use Western weapons on enemy territory."
Just days after US President Joe Biden allowed Ukraine to conduct limited strikes in Russian territory near Kharkiv with US weapons, European countries also lifted restrictions on the use of these weapons.
It remains uncertain whether the weapons utilized in Vereshchuk's strike were provided by the US.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed his appreciation for Biden's approval of limited strikes in Russia, seeing it as a positive development to support Ukraine's defense efforts in Kharkiv. However, there are concerns among analysts about whether this new permission will truly enhance Ukraine's defense capabilities against Russia's invasion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on June 2.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on June 2.
Edgar Su/Reuters
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Military analysts are not expecting too much because the US has made it clear that Ukraine cannot use their most powerful missiles, the ATACMS, to shoot into Russia. These long-range missiles can hit targets up to 300 kilometers away.
Instead, Ukraine is limited to using shorter-range missiles called GMLRS, which can only reach around 70 kilometers.
Russia has already faced Ukrainian attacks with Western weapons on land that it claims. Ukraine has often aimed at occupied Crimea, which Russia took over in 2014, using missiles called "Storm Shadow" given by the UK.
Ukraine carried out strikes on Kharkiv and Kherson in late 2022 to reclaim the regions occupied by Russia at the start of the war. This is an ongoing story and will be kept up to date.
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