Ukraine has long-range missiles. Volodymyr Zelensky’s appeal which had remained unheard for years would now have been answered and the United States, at the beginning of April, would have sent an as yet unspecified number of Atacms to Kiev. Ballistic missiles with a range of over 300 kilometers – an enhanced version of those already sent last autumn and which could hit targets at a maximum distance of 160 kilometers – which, according to analysts, will change the scenario on the front. A different approach for the Ukrainian army which, thanks to the new Atacms, can provide greater cover to its men and can put a spoke in the wheels of Vladimir Putin’s war machine. As reconstructed by Marta Serafini in Il Corriere della Sera, however, the first word used by the United States in the announcement of the sending of long-range missiles to Zelensky is caution.
The reason is twofold. First of all, the secrecy surrounding the news of the sending of the Atacms. Colonel Garron Garn, the Pentagon spokesman who announced the arrival of the weapons in Kiev, underlined how the secret was kept because “We wanted to maintain operational security for Ukraine, as they requested of us.” And then the one linked to the number of carriers sent: no one knows how many there are, what is certain is that – according to National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan – Washington intends to send more. Caution also for the Russians. With the Atacms, the Ukrainians will have the ability to strike more deeply at Moscow’s bases, storage facilities and logistics hubs. The Kremlin, however, underestimated the impact of the new supplies on the conflict. Word of Dmitry Peskov who chilled Kiev’s enthusiasm by saying: “We will reach our goal, but this will cause further problems for Ukraine itself.”
The long-range missiles, according to analysts, could however lead Putin and his men to have to review their war plans. Especially for eastern Ukraine, where Moscow has been pressing and gaining ground for weeks. An area, that of the Kharkiv region, which is vital for the Kremlin’s future programs and which will be the target of the offensive that Russia could launch between the end of spring and the beginning of summer. That the new Atacms are decisive is already demonstrated by their first successes in the field: last week the Ukrainians hit a Russian airport in occupied Crimea; Last Tuesday, a long-range missile raid hit Russian troops in the occupied city of Berdyansk on the Sea of Azov.
#revolutionize #war #Tempo
2024-04-30 20:44:06