To the thousand days of war, Ukraine has used the US missiles on Russian territory. This has been confirmed by the Russian Ministry of Defense, which has assured that the Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked the Brians region with missiles during the night. long range ATACMSdays after the United States Government gave the green light to the use of these projectiles outside the borders of Ukraine.
The Ministry has reported the firing at around 3:25 (local time) of at least six missiles, five of which were shot down by Russian air defense systems. The attack left no injuries. Although missile remains did fall on a military installation and caused a fire, according to the official version from Moscow, collected by the TASS agency.
Biden allows the use of missiles
Over the weekend, US President Joe Biden authorized Ukraine to use long-range US weapons against Russia. We are talking, therefore, about a change in the strategy with which Biden sought to be a deterrent against North Korea so that it would not send more troops to Russia and perceive that the presence in the area is a “costly” mistake, according to one of the ‘Washington Post’ sources.
This weaponry was until now vetoed for fear of escalation, and is especially relevant because this decision has been made less than two months after the replacement in the White House following Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential elections on November 5. Trump has promised to end the war in Ukraine.
The authorization “is going to have a very specific and limited effect” on the battlefield to avoid a possible escalation, according to another source from ‘The Washington Post’.
What are US long-range missiles?
ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) long-range tactical missiles are a high-precision surface-to-surface attack system manufactured by Lockheed Martin. Originally designed to operate with great effectiveness in conflicts such as Operation Desert Storm (1990-1991), these missiles have established themselves as a key tool in the US military arsenal.
Equipped with GPS-assisted inertial navigation and powered by solid fuel, the ATACMS measure approximately 4 meters in length, with a diameter of almost 61 centimeters and a 226-kilogram warhead of fragmented explosion. They can be launched from platforms such as the HIMARS mobile system or the M270 multiple launch platform, giving them great versatility on the battlefield. Their precision and range capabilities make them a strategic tool for attacking high-value targets.
Putin’s response
For his part, Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved a nuclear doctrine that allows responses with nuclear weapons to conventional attacks that threaten the sovereignty of Russia and Belarus.
The doctrine authorizes a nuclear attack in the event that the enemy conventional attack poses “a critical threat to the sovereignty and (or) territorial integrity” of both countries, which make up the Russia-Belarus State Union.
The document will also consider “joint attack” the aggression of a country that lacks atomic weapons, but has the support of a nuclear power.
The doctrine, published on the legal information portal of the Russian State, expands the category of military alliances against which Russia will apply the nuclear deterrence strategy.
“The aggression of any State belonging to a military coalition (bloc, alliance) against the Russian Federation and (or) its allies is seen as an aggression of the coalition as a whole,” it notes.
