How Ukraine secretly received the coveted ATACMS missiles from the US, and immediately deployed them successfully

The so-called ATACMS missiles were a heated point of discussion between Kiev and Washington for more than a year. The government of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was eager to receive the missiles so that they could eliminate important Russian targets far behind the front. However, American President Joe Biden feared escalation by Russia and further involvement by the United States if they supplied the powerful weapons.

Yet it increasingly dawned on the US that the missiles were necessary to accurately tackle the Russian logistical war machine and to disrupt the attacks on Ukrainian positions and cities. At the end of 2023, the Pentagon already delivered a small number of ATAMCS, short for ‘Army Tactical Missile System’, with a range of 165 kilometers. They were then immediately deployed in ‘Operation Dragonfly’, in which two military airports in occupied territory used by the Russian army were bombarded.

‘Significant number’

Now, another six months later, the long-range version of the rocket also appears to have found its way to the front. The White House confirmed media reports on Wednesday evening that the United States had already decided in early March to deliver “a significant number” of ATACMS missiles with a range of 300 kilometers to Ukraine. This happened secretly and under the heading ‘additional ammunition for Himars missile systems’, which can include a wide range of missiles. The New York Times writes that it involved “more than a hundred” missiles.

According to the US State Department, “the shipment took place at the direct request of President Biden.” “The inclusion of the missiles in this March package was not announced at that time in order to maintain operational security for Ukraine at his request,” the spokesperson said.

The missiles are said to have been shipped to Ukraine at the beginning of this month and have been deployed twice since then. According to sources in the Pentagon, this happened for the first time on April 17 at ‘a Russian air base in Crimea’.

That attack on Russia’s Dzhankoi airport in the north of the peninsula destroyed a state-of-the-art mobile S-400 anti-aircraft system, which Russia says is “the best in the world.” The S-400 is also seen as the Russian variant of the American Patriot system. A complete system is estimated to cost around $800 million.

According to Ukrainian sources, four launchers, three radars and the system’s control center were hit. Satellite images and photos later confirmed those claims.

President Zelensky himself also thanked his soldiers “for your precision” and Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky for organizing the operation in a video speech in the evening.

The confirmation confirms the suspicions of a number of Russian war bloggers, who reported immediately after the attack that ATACMS missiles had been deployed. For example, photos of debris from the rockets appeared on Telegram.

ATACMS missiles are also said to have been used this week on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday in an attack on a Russian military base near Berdjansk in the south of the Ukrainian mainland.

‘We will still send more’

The new military aid package that the White House immediately announced on Wednesday after Congress approved the new arms support also includes ATACMS missiles, Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed on Wednesday evening. “And we will send more.”

Officially it sounds like the missiles could not be promised earlier because the US would then run into problems with its stock. However, now that the Pentagon expects new deliveries of the Lockheed Martin product, the Americans can more easily use their existing stocks.

Iranian and North Korean aid to Russia – both countries already supplied Moscow with ammunition and ballistic missiles – would also have made the White House turn around, as would the continued Russian shelling of Ukrainian energy infrastructure, Washington sources told American media. “We warned them about those targets,” the source said. “But they just kept bombing new ones.”

Crimean bridge

More than likely, the ATACMS will continue to be used in the coming weeks and months against Russian targets such as ammunition depots and military bases in Crimea, now that the peninsula has come fully within Ukrainian fire range. According to Sullivan, Ukraine has agreed to only deploy the missiles over Ukrainian territory, and not over Russia.

One target immediately stands out: the Crimean Bridge, the connection between Crimea and the Russian mainland that has already been attacked twice by Ukraine but has been restored each time. Ukrainian intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov recently confirmed that Ukraine wants to destroy the bridge in the first half of 2024.

The Kremlin insisted on Thursday afternoon that the delivery of ATACMS missiles “will not change the outcome of the special military operation.” On the contrary, “they will create even more problems for Ukraine,” said spokesman Dmitry Peskov.