Ukraine strikes deep into Russian occupied territories with ATACMS
A graphic showing the targets of ATACMS strikes, and the casualties that occurred. The two yellow explosion symbols represent a couple of ammunition depots. (YouTube/Reporting from Ukraine)
When the Ukrainians received and used US supplied HIMARS, the precision strikes they were able to levy on Russian military assets in occupied territories forced the Russians to move many of their military equipment and systems. The Russians moved them to well beyond regular HIMARS strikes. With the use of the storm shadow missiles, the Ukrainians were able to reach further into Russian controlled territories but with the risk of early detection when the launching platforms took flight. With the receipt of ATACMS, the Ukrainians were able to strike deeper into Russian controlled territories with little warning, recently inflicting damage on two Russian airfields.
From Reuters:
The Ukrainian military had issued reports throughout the day about successful, high-precision strikes on airfields near Luhansk in Ukraine’s east and in Berdiansk in the south, on the Sea of Azov, both under Russian control.
“Today, special thanks to the United States. Our agreements with President Biden are being implemented. Very accurately – ATACMS proved themselves,” Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.
Ukraine had repeatedly asked the U.S. administration for ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile Systems). Kyiv pledged not to use them inside Russia’s territory but said the powerful weapons would alter the course of the 20-month-old war.
Deploying the weapons would allow Ukrainian forces to disrupt previously unreachable supply lines, air bases and rail networks used by Russia in occupied territories, senior officials said.
Ukrainian Special Forces, without initially mentioning the ATACMS, said that nine helicopters, an air defence missile launcher, runways and other equipment had been destroyed, and heavy losses inflicted on Russian forces.
There was no official comment from Russia. But a Moscow-installed official in partially Moscow-controlled Zaporizhzhia region, which is home to Berdiansk, said that cluster munitions from the ATACMS missiles were found there on Tuesday.
Earlier, Rogov said that Russian air defences had ensured that a Ukrainian air attack near Berdiansk was not successful.
Zelenskiy’s comments mark the first confirmed use in Ukraine of the ATACMS, which can fly up to 190 miles (310 km). The country’s Defence Ministry promised on X, formerly Twitter, that there would be “more news to come”.
“As you can see, it is now possible to hit targets impeccably, with great precision, giving the enemy no chance,” Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat told national television.
Reuters has additional information here. The Russian ambassador to the United States said that this action will result in consequences of the most serious nature.
Category: Army, International Affairs, Russia, Ukraine
Good thing that the Bad Orange Man wasn’t (s)elected president. We’d be in a proxy war with the Russkies by now. Oh…wait…he wasn’t and we are.
Welp, we’ve given away all of our artillery shells, we may as well give away our ATACMS stocks. It’s not like we’ll be using them to defend the US.
BUT HEY, at least we no longer have Tweets from “Bad Orange Man” hurting the feewings of precious liberal snowflakes anymore, do we?
Oh for some mean tweets right about now.
Proxy wars work ways.
Now think of the semi high tech Russian wespons that could put a sad face on NATO if the “wrong” proxy got them.
I’ll take stock in the proxy wars
I don’t know much about ATACMS, but I would not be surprised to read another article about their sudden strange appearance amongst Hamas terrorists in another few weeks.
Days
That will just prove the corruption in the Ukrainian govt and most likely ours as well.
By that I mean giving them all top shelf weapons systems and not monitoring how they are used or who is keeping track of where they end up.
HandHELLbasket.
If you know what I mean.
And by the way, how is the Mother of All Battles, the Great Ukrainian Summer Offensive, going? They should be pretty close to Moscow by now.