Ukraine begins strikes on Russian soil using US weapons
Al Jazeera
Two attacks in the past week suggest the lifting of restrictions has allowed Ukraine a more effective defence.
Ukraine may have realised the first benefits of being allowed to strike Russian territory with Western weapons last week.
On May 26 and 27, France and Germany said they were allowing Ukraine to use their weapons against targets on Russian soil, following Russia’s new offensive against Kharkiv on May 10.
US sources told media on May 30 that the US was allowing Ukraine to use its weapons “for counter-fire purposes in Kharkiv”.
That suggested Ukraine was only allowed to fire back against a position from which incoming fire had originated, but not to use its intelligence to target weapons systems and troop concentrations pre-emptively.
“This US ambiguity misses an opportunity to deter Russian preparations for offensive operations elsewhere across the border into northern Ukraine,” said the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think-tank.
