Ukraine out of ATACMS
The Ukrainian military has used up all of the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles supplied by the US during the fighting with Russia, the Associated Press has reported, citing an American official.
Kiev started using ATACMS missiles, which have a range of 300km, for attacks into internationally recognized Russian territory from the autumn of 2024, in particular targeting the border regions of Kursk, Bryansk, Belgorod, and Rostov.
However, Ukraine's stock of ATACMS had been fully exhausted by late January, the AP reported on Wednesday. Overall, Ukraine received 'fewer than 40' of the missiles from Washington, according to a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
An unnamed Ukrainian lawmaker, who sits on the country's defense committee, also confirmed to the AP that Kiev does not have any more ATACMS left.
The previous administration of US President Joe Biden initially forbade Ukraine from striking deep into Russia with American-made weapons, but eventually reversed its stance on the issue. The UK and France followed suit by also allowing attacks with their Storm Shadow and SCALP missiles.
Moscow had warned the US and its allies against greenlighting long-range Ukrainian strikes, arguing that they would make NATO a direct participant in the conflict due to Kiev's inability to fire sophisticated weapons on its own.
Russia responded to the first strikes with ATACMS in November last year by launching its new hypersonic Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile system at the Yuzhmash military industrial facility in the Ukrainian city of Dnepr.
The Russian military says it has been successful in shooting down ATACMS and other longer-range Western-made munitions on most occasions. The Defense Ministry in Moscow has not reported intercepting American missiles since mid-January.
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