Authorization by USA of the use of long-range missiles ATACMS against targets in Russian territory, carried out by US media, is a substantial change in the policy of the administration of Joe Biden regarding the war Ukraine.
Until now, Ukraine used to be able to use ATACMS missiles for its attacks on territory invaded by Russia, although the ukrainian president, Volodimir Zelenskyhad been requesting for months to use them to bomb targets in Russia.
The Army’s conventional tactical missile system (ATACMS) is a manufactured high-precision surface-to-surface attack system by the American company Lockheed Martin.
The ATACMS have a GPS-assisted inertial navigation system and are powered by solid fuel. They measure approximately 4 meters in length, have a diameter of 60.96 centimeters and have a 226 kilogram fragmented explosion warhead.
They can be launched from an M270 multiple launch platform or from the HIMARS mobile system.
The United States supplied Ukraine with the first ATACMS in 2023, but only for use in Ukrainian territory and in a version with a shorter range than those that have been sent in recent months: 165 kilometers compared to a maximum of 300.
On October 3, 2024, the Ukrainian Army reported the destruction of a valuable Russian Nebo-M model radar using an ATACMS missile, although it did not specify where the attack occurred.
According to a survey published by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), There are at least 245 sensitive targets within range of this type of missile.
Among them are more than 200 military units of different importance and function, such as warehouses and barracks, but above all air bases that are used to launch bombing raids on Ukrainian territory.
Rostov on Don, in the southeast of the conflict zone, houses one of them, surrounded by dozens of military sites of interest that would be within reach of Ukrainian attacks.
The basis of Kuzminkathe training and quartering centers of Kazach Lagerialso in the southeast, would be other ATACMS objectives, while in the northeast the ISW highlights the air base of Voronezh Malshevoalso surrounded by dozens of warehouses and military barracks for Putin’s troops.
However, all eyes will be focused first on the base aérea Kursk Vostochny and its surroundings, in the region of Kurskwhere the Ukrainian incursion took place that still resists, occupying part of Russia’s territory and which would be the area in which the US has specifically authorized the use of the longest-range missiles.
Despite kyiv’s intense campaign for Washington to lift the ban on using these missiles inside Russia, the White House had not given in until now and in October opted for an alternative solution: $800 million in aid for the industry. Ukrainian military will redouble the production of long-range weapons.
On November 1, Zelensky put on the table the possibility of attacking North Korean soldiers who are in Russia to fight alongside Kremlin troops in Ukraine with ATACMS.
In addition to the ATACMSUkraine has other cruise missiles, the Storm Shadow supplied by the United Kingdom, and the SCALP-EG, provided by France. As in the previous case, its use in Russian territory is prohibited.
With information from EFE
