Long-Range ATACMS Missiles May Change War In Ukraine

The new weapon may offer the AFU the advantage.

Ukraine has gained the ability to strike targets inside Russia, which opens up new prospects for combat operations. The first targets are likely to be sites in Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces control an area of more than 1,000 square kilometres, the BBC reported.

Ukrainian and US officials predict a counter-offensive by Russian and North Korean forces aimed at retaking territories near Kursk. In this context, ATACMS missiles could become a means of defence, allowing Russian positions, military bases, ammunition depots and other infrastructure to be attacked.

However, the number of missiles is likely to be insufficient to turn the tide of the war. In response to this delivery, Russian forces have already moved jets to airfields deeper into Russia. Even so, the new weapons could provide Ukraine with an advantage, particularly at a time when Russian troop morale is low and their forces are strengthening in eastern Ukraine.

‘I don't think this decision will be decisive. But it is a belated symbolic decision to raise the stakes and show military support for Ukraine. It could increase the cost of the war for Russia,‘ said an anonymous Western diplomat in Kyiv.’

Evelyn Farkas, a former US deputy assistant secretary of defence, said the success of the ATACMS depends on the amount of munitions that will be given to Ukraine:

‘The question, of course, is how many missiles do they have? We have heard that the Pentagon has warned that there are not that many such missiles.’

In addition, Farkas emphasised that ATACMS could have a ‘positive psychological impact’ on Ukrainian society, especially if used to strike strategic targets such as the Kerch Bridge.

The US decision to authorise the use of long-range missiles could also encourage other countries, such as the UK and France, to provide Ukraine with similar weapons, particularly Storm Shadow, a Franco-British cruise missile with similar capabilities.

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