The ATACMS long-range missiles requested by Ukraine, discreetly supplied by the US, were already used on the battlefield against Russia this Tuesday.
According to sources in Kiev, who requested anonymity, the delivery of the missiles to the battlefront was shrouded in secrecy, with the expectation that the first public acknowledgment would take place when they were already in use.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been pressuring the United States for months to supply tactical missile systems known as ATACMS.
However, the US hesitated, fearing that Kiev could use weapons to attack Russian territory, provoke Moscow and worsen the conflict.
Biden finally gave the green light to the delivery of the missiles last month, promising Zelensky during a White House meeting that the US would give Ukraine the ATACMS.
Yet at the time the US declined to provide details on the timing or number of missiles that would be delivered, although US officials suggested the plan was to send only about 20.
Due to ongoing US concerns about escalating tensions with Russia, the ATACMS version that went to Ukraine will have a shorter range than the maximum distance the missiles can reach.
While some versions of the missiles can reach a range of about 300 kilometers, the versions sent to Ukraine have a shorter range and contain cluster munitions.
The military offensive that Russia launched in Ukraine on February 24, 2022 caused the worst refugee crisis in Europe since World War II (1939-1945), according to the most recent UN data.
The Russian invasion – justified by Russian President Vladimir Putin with the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russia’s security – was condemned by most of the international community, which responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and impose them on Russia of political and economic importance. sanctions.
Source: DN
