The ATACMS system in action (archive image). — © AFP
The United States secretly shipped new long-range, longer-range missiles to Ukraine last week. The New York Times reports this. The missiles were already used on Tuesday and Wednesday by the Ukrainian army for attacks on their Russian opponents.
It’s about the so-called Army Tactical Missile Systemssystem (ATACMS). The Ukrainians already received that system from the Americans in the past, but only received the missiles with a range of about 160 kilometers. However, the Ukrainians have long been eyeing the missiles with a range of 300 kilometers, because they can reach targets further into occupied territory – especially Crimea, a hub for the movement of Russian troops and supplies.
US President Joe Biden secretly approved the delivery of more than 100 such missiles in mid-February, an anonymous source said. New York Times now. The delivery was kept secret so that the Russian army could not prepare for attacks from greater distances.
The Ukrainian army used the new longer-range missiles for the first time on Tuesday in an attack on Russian troops in the port city of Berdiansk. The rockets were used again on Wednesday in an attack on a military airport in Dzhankoi, Crimea. With success, according to images on social media. Unverified images shared by local residents showed ammunition supplies still on fire four hours after the attack.
