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Thursday 25 april 2024

Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by US to hit

Russian-held areas, officials say

From Front would not confirm it was
the ATACMS.
By LOLITA C. BALDOR and "These strikes proved -–
TARA COPP once again -– that Ukraine
Associated Press can notch battlefield vic-
WASHINGTON (AP) — tories when given the right
Ukraine for the first time has tools," said Sen. Roger Wick-
begun using long-range er of Mississippi, the top Re-
ballistic missiles provided publican on the Senate
secretly by the United Armed Services Committee
States, bombing a Russian who has long pressed the
military airfield in Crimea administration to send the
last week and Russian forc- long-range weapons.
es in another occupied Ukraine's first use of the
area overnight, American weapon came as political
officials said Wednesday. gridlock in Congress had
Long sought by Ukrainian delayed approval of a $95
leaders, the new missiles billion foreign aid package
give Ukraine nearly double for months, including fund-
the striking distance — up ing for Ukraine, Israel and
to 300 kilometers (190 miles) other allies. Facing acute
— that it had with the mid- shortages of artillery and air
range version of the weap- defense systems, Ukraine
on that it received from the has been rationing its mu-
U.S. last October. In this image provided by the U.S. Army, soldiers, from the 3rd Battalion, 321st Field Artillery nitions as U.S. funding was
"We've already sent some, Regiment of the 18th Field Artillery Brigade out of Fort Bragg N.C., conduct live fire testing at White delayed.
we will send more now that Sands Missile Range, N.M., on Dec. 14, 2021, of early versions of the Army Tactical Missile System. With the war now in its third
we have additional au- Associated Press year, Russia used the de-
thority and money," White lay in U.S. weapons deliv-
House national security ad- For months, the U.S. re- whether their use would risk portant tools for the quick eries and its own edge in
viser Jake Sullivan said. The sisted sending Ukraine the further escalating the con- restoration of a just peace." firepower and personnel
additional ATACMS were long-range missiles out of flict. The administration is One U.S. official said to step up attacks across
included in a new mili- concern that Kyiv could continuing to make clear the Biden administration eastern Ukraine. It has in-
tary aid package signed use them to hit deep into that the weapons cannot warned Russia last year creasingly used satellite-
by President Joe Biden on Russian territory, enraging be used to hit targets inside that if Moscow acquired guided gliding bombs —
Wednesday. Moscow and escalating Russia. At the State Depart- and used long-range bal- dropped from planes from
Biden approved delivery of the conflict. That was a key ment, spokesman Vedant listic missiles in Ukraine, a safe distance — to pum-
the long-range Army Tacti- reason the administration Patel said Wednesday that Washington would provide mel Ukrainian forces beset
cal Missile System, known sent the mid-range ver- Biden directed his national the same capability to Kyiv. by a shortage of troops
as ATACMS, in February, sion, with a range of about security team to send the The official spoke on con- and ammunition.
and then in March the U.S. 160 kilometers (roughly 100 ATACMS specifying that dition of anonymity to talk The mid-range missiles pro-
included a "significant" miles), in October instead. they be used inside Ukrai- about internal discussions. vided last year, and some
number of them in a $300 Adm. Christopher Grady, nian sovereign territory. Russia got some of those of the long-range ones sent
million aid package an- vice chairman of the "I think the time is right, and weapons from North Ko- more recently, carry cluster
nounced, officials said. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the boss (Biden) made the rea and has used them on munitions that open in the
U.S. officials would not pro- Wednesday that the White decision the time is right the battlefield in Ukraine, air when fired, releasing
vide the exact number of House and military planners to provide these based said the official, prompting hundreds of bomblets rath-
missiles given last month or looked carefully at the risks on where the fight is right the Biden administration to er than a single warhead.
in the latest aid package, of providing long-range now," Grady said Wednes- greenlight the new long- Others sent recently have a
which totals about $1 bil- fires to Ukraine and deter- day. "I think it was a very range missiles. single warhead.
lion. mined that the time was well considered decision, The U.S. had refused to One critical factor in the
Ukraine has been forced right to provide them now. and we really wrung it out confirm that the long- February decision to send
to ration its weapons and He told The Associated — but again, any time you range missiles were given the weapons was the U.S.
is facing increasing Russian Press in an interview that introduce a new system, to Ukraine until they were Army's ability to begin re-
attacks. Ukraine had been long-range weapons will any change — into a bat- actually used on the battle- placing the older ATACMS.
begging for the long-range help Ukraine take out Rus- tlefield, you have to think field and Kyiv leaders ap- The Army is now buying the
system because the missiles sian logistics nodes and through the escalatory na- proved the public release. Precision Strike Missile, so is
provide a critical ability to troop concentrations that ture of it." One official said the weap- more comfortable taking
strike Russian targets that are not on the front lines. Ukrainian officials haven't ons were used early last ATACMS off the shelves to
are farther away, allow- Grady declined to iden- publicly acknowledged week to strike the airfield in provide to Ukraine, the of-
ing Ukrainian forces to stay tify what specific weap- the receipt or use of long- Dzhankoi, a city in Crimea, ficial said.
safely out of range. ons were being provided range ATACMS. But in a peninsula that Russia At the White House, Sullivan
Information about the de- but said they will be "very thanking Congress for pass- seized from Ukraine in 2014. said the administration "has
livery was kept so quiet that disruptive if used properly, ing the new aid bill Tues- They were used again over- worked relentlessly to ad-
lawmakers and others in and I'm confident they will day, Ukrainian President night east of the occupied dress those concerns" and
recent days have been de- be." Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted city of Berdyansk. stocks are now coming off
manding that the U.S. send Like many of the other so- on the social platform X Videos on social media last the production line and
the weapons — not know- phisticated weapons sys- that "Ukraine's long-range week showed the explo- the ATACMS can be sent
ing they were already in tems provided to Ukraine, capabilities, artillery and air sions at the military airfield, without hurting U.S. military
Ukraine. the administration weighed defense are extremely im- but officials at the time readiness.q