Ukraine Welcomes Missile News

President Zelensky has been pushing for this moment for months. When it finally came, he was a little coy.

Strikes are not made with words, he said in his nightly address: “Such things are not announced, missiles speak for themselves.”

President Biden has given Ukraine permission to use long-range missiles supplied by Washington to strike deep inside Russia.

It is thought that initially Ukraine’s use of the Army Tactical Missile System – known by its acronym ATACMS – will be confined to defending Ukrainian troops still holding on to a small chunk of Russian territory in the Kursk region.

A major Russian counter offensive is expected there within days, assisted by as many as 10,000 troops from North Korea.

The use of the missiles, capable of targeting military facilities deep inside Russia, could complicate Russia’s efforts, enabling Ukraine to hold onto this valuable bargaining chip ahead of any possible peace talks next year

Ukrainian military experts have welcomed Washington’s decision – saying it will not necessarily change the course of the war but will restore a little balance.

Back Foot
This comes at a time when Russian forces are creeping forward all along the eastern front, and Ukraine feels it has been on the back foot for several months.

“Ukrainians are very much inspired with the news,” said Maj Volodymyr Omelyan from the Brigade of Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Putin has previously warned that such a move from the US would amount to direct participation of Nato countries in the war – but Maj Omelyan said this was simply “bluffing.”

“We shall not pay any attention,” he said, since Russia had issued similar warnings about “many other systems and weapons we received.”

“Nothing happened. Nothing will happen this time as well.”

The former government minister added that Ukraine needed similar permission for the use of Storm Shadow missiles, manufactured by Britain and France.

Ukrainian MP Inna Sovsun said Ukrainians were “happy this decision has been taken” and that it would make a “huge difference.”

But she said there was discontent “that it took Biden so long to make a decision that could have saved lives” had it been taken earlier.

“I wish it [had] been made before Putin had destroyed half of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure,” she said.

What we do not know are the specifics of Washington’s decision. We do not know how many of the systems Ukraine has.

Oleksiy Goncharenko, an MP for Odessa, stressed that Ukraine needed a sufficient quantity of missiles for Washington’s move to matter.

“It’s very important to have not just permission but missiles – to be capable… to make a difference to the situation.”

He added that it was a “pity.” The decision “took almost 1,000 days,” adding that it was “better late than never.”

BBC /Shakirat Sadiq