Is the US secretly sending long-range missiles to Ukraine?

The Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) is a US-made system.

CNN reported on October 17, citing two US officials, that Washington had secretly sent Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) to Ukraine after images of components of these long-range missiles in Ukraine appeared on social media.

It is unclear exactly when the U.S. missiles were delivered. However, in recent weeks, the U.S. decided to quietly send them in order to surprise Russia, especially after months of debate over whether President Joe Biden would agree to send the weapons, according to an anonymous official.

The debris is believed to be from ACTAMS used by Ukrainian forces.

Account X Oleksiy Goncharenko

According to the same official, the Russians are aware of the missile's range, so the US is concerned they will move equipment and weapons out of range before the missiles can be used.

U.S. officials indicate that Ukraine used ATACMS, a missile with several variants that has a range of up to 300 km, to attack the Berdyansk and Luhansk airfields, currently controlled by Russia, in eastern Ukraine this week.

What capabilities does the ATACMS missile system offer Ukraine?

The Ukrainian military said the attack destroyed several Russian helicopters, an ammunition depot, and an anti-aircraft launcher, but did not specify whether they used ATACMS.

The U.S. has secretly sent some weapons to Ukraine. In August 2022, the Pentagon admitted to sending HARM anti-radiation missiles to Ukraine without prior disclosure.

However, the U.S. regularly announces significant arms packages for Ukraine, including sending Patriot air defense systems last year and cluster munitions this year.

Over the past few weeks, when asked about the status of ATACMS aid to Ukraine, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has simply stated that the U.S. "has nothing to announce." According to U.S. officials, this was a deliberate choice of words.

The Pentagon believes that all questions about ATACMS should be answered by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

According to The New York Times , Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Goncharenko confirmed on October 17 that "ATCMS is with us." Writing on the social media platform X, he said that an airport in the Russian-controlled city of Berdyansk (Zaporizhzhia province) had been attacked with these missiles.

Points of conflict: Ukraine again blames the West for its counterattack failure; US deploys aircraft carrier, ready to send troops to support Israel.

The ATACMS version sent to Ukraine was in small numbers and equipped with cluster munitions.

U.S. officials were previously reluctant to send long-range surface-to-surface guided missiles for fear of escalating conflict because they could be fired into Russia. However, that concern has largely eased in recent months, as Ukraine has demonstrated that it is not using other U.S.-supplied weapons to attack inside Russian territory, U.S. officials said.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/my-am-tham-gui-ten-lua-tam-xa-cho-ukraine-18523101721501493.htm