(NewsWorthy.news) – The United States secretly sent long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems to Ukraine in April.
The ATACMS were promptly utilized by Kyiv against targets in Crimea and occupied territory in the south-east of Ukraine. The missiles can travel as far as 190 miles and are armed with cluster munitions that spread over a wide radius. They have a significantly larger range than those previously sent to Kyiv by Washington that have a range of 100 miles. According to a U.S. official, Ukraine used the missiles overnight to strike Russian soldiers in Berdiansk on the Azov Sea.
The news comes as the White House proceeds with sending long-awaited military aid to Ukraine after a controversial package committing $61 billion of aid to Ukraine was voted through at the House of Representatives.
Jake Sullivan, the White House’s national security adviser, said to reporters that the U.S. intends to send more of the missiles. Vedant Patel, Department of State spokesman, clarified that the shipment had not been announced at the request of Kyiv to maintain operational security for Ukraine’s forces. Dimitry Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesman, argued that the U.S. is “directly involved” in the war in Ukraine.
The use of the missiles along with the use of long-range drones on targets deep within Russia shows further contradiction with the White House’s stance on Ukraine launching attacks deep within Russian territory. The shipment also strays from President Joe Biden’s assurance in 2022 that the U.S. would not supply Ukraine with long-range missiles that would be used to attack targets within Russia. The Kremlin warned in 2022 that there would be harsh retaliation in response to attacks within Russian territory, and the same warnings came again in 2023 following a drone attack in Moscow. This along with the impact on global oil supplies was the reason given by the White House for its disapproval of recent Ukrainian strikes against oil infrastructure within Russia.
Republican Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker, who is the senior Republican on the Armed Services Committee, said the strikes proved that Ukraine can seize victories on the battlefield with the right tools at its disposal. Unverified video footage showed the fiery aftermath of the strike on the military airfield in Crimea. The group Crimean Wind claimed on social media that ammunition was still exploding four hours after the strike and that houses near the airfield had their windows blown out.
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