The US permission to strike Russia helped deter the attack on Kharkiv

Thanks to the permission of the United States to strike with American weapons on Russian territory, a new Russian attack on the Kharkiv region was thwarted.

This is reported by the Associated Press.

As the situation on the battlefield worsened, the United States allowed Ukraine to use Western-made artillery and missile systems to defend the city of Kharkiv. These systems allowed Ukrainian troops to push back Russian positions, give them time to strengthen their own positions, and even launch small counterattacks.

On June 21, the US expanded this policy, allowing counterattacks in a larger region. However, the Biden administration has not lifted restrictions that prohibit Ukraine from using US-provided ATACMS missiles to strike Russian territory. Those restrictions, U.S. officials say, are based on concerns that such strikes could trigger a broader escalation by Russia.

However, Ukrainian commanders insist that they need the ability to strike important targets in Russia with ATACMS, which have a range of more than 100 kilometers.

"Unfortunately, we still cannot reach the airfields and their planes. That's the problem. That's why we ask (allies, editor) to lift the restrictions on the use of long-range missiles against limited military targets on the territory of Russia," Yehor Cherniev, Deputy Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security, Defense, and Intelligence, said at the beginning of this month.

Since the end of May, Ukraine has been able to target Russian troops and air defense systems 20 kilometers from the border in the Kharkiv region. The move has significantly slowed the Russian advance, even allowing Ukrainian forces to advance along the northeastern border, including the recent recapture of areas southwest of Vovchansk.

"HIMARS were not silent all day. From the first days, Ukrainian forces managed to destroy entire columns of troops along the border who were waiting for the order to enter Ukraine," said the commander of the artillery unit with the call sign “Hephaestus”.

According to him, previously, Ukrainian troops could not hit warehouses with ammunition and other resources, because they were located at a distance of 20 kilometers from what they could hit.

Ukrainian officials hope to convince US allies to allow ATACMS to be used against specific targets.

"It seems rather absurd when the enemy is so actively advancing on our territory and hitting Ukrainian territory with all types of missiles and calibers, and we cannot strike back at the enemy's territory, where they keep logistics and supplies." - said the commander of the drone company of the 103rd Territorial Defense Brigade, Mykyta Lys.

The commander noted that the ATACMS decision will also be changed based on the situation on the ground. He hopes that a decision will be made as soon as possible.

Author - Serhii Kolomiets, 24/06/2024