Ukraine has already fired these missiles at Russian targets in Crimea.
The United States secretly sent long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine. Moreover, Ukrainian forces have already successfully used them, striking an airfield in Crimea and Russian troops in southeastern Ukraine.
According to The New York Times, last week the United States quietly sent Ukraine a batch of long-range ATACMS missiles. We are talking about a batch of more than 100 units.
In mid-February, US President Joe Biden secretly approved the decision to send more than 100 longer-range missiles, as well as other variants of cluster munitions, according to a senior US official. The weapons were part of a $300 million shipment to Ukraine in March.
The White House hid the sending of missiles to Ukraine so that the Russians would not take advantage of it. If the Kremlin had found out that the missiles were already on the way, they would have immediately ordered their key warehouses and headquarters to be withdrawn from the missiles’ range of action.
The US denied Ukraine’s request for these long-range missiles, but Biden changed his mind, and there were reasons for this. Russia has increasingly fired ballistic missiles at Ukraine, so Kyiv has stepped up its request for weapons that could help counter those threats.
Additional long-range missiles will be sent to Urcaina as part of $60.8 billion in aid. President Volodymyr Zelensky, commenting on the partners’ assistance, did not mention the fact that Ukraine has already received and used a small amount of weapons, likely to keep their use secret from Russia.
According to the publication, Ukraine has already launched ATACMS missiles at Russian targets in Crimea.
“These strikes once again proved that Ukraine can achieve victories on the battlefield if it has the right tools. Ukraine can target every Russian asset in Crimea, including critical ammunition and fuel depots. Imagine if they had these missiles for two years back,” said Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi.
However, US military officials warned that their ATACMS arsenal was relatively small and the missiles were intended for other Pentagon military plans, including on the Korean Peninsula. Only about 4,000 ATACMS have been built since the missile’s development in the 1980s, according to system manufacturer Lockheed Martin.
ATACMS for Ukraine – latest data
As UNIAN reported, the US House of Representatives and Senate approved a bill on additional support for Ukraine totaling $60.8 billion. Yesterday, April 24, the US President put this law into effect with his signature. Among other things, the law stipulates that the president is obliged to provide ATACMS missiles to Ukraine.
According to media reports, the United States has been secretly supplying Ukraine with long-range missiles in recent weeks to fight Russian invaders. Last week, the Ukrainian army used them for the first time.
US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink confirmed that the United States of America provided Ukraine with ATACMS long-range tactical missile systems in April.
