War in Ukraine: Ukraine: New cruise missiles destroy first targets Russia threatens serious consequences

Kiev celebrates the first use of the US-supplied short-range missile against Russian troops. But there are no big successes ahead yet.

October 18, 2023 | by Mareike Müller and Martin Murphy

ATACMS being launched by an M270 June 21, 2023: The U © IMAGO/Avalon.red

Riga, Berlin Everything goes black until you hear the bang, then three points of light rise into the sky and illuminate the field below. The video, first released by the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valerii Zaluzhnyi, purports to show the first use of ATACMS cruise missiles against Russian troops in Ukraine.

Shortly before that, the US delivered the cruise missiles to Ukraine – albeit secretly, so that the Ukrainian military could surprise the Russian side. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy finally confirmed the use of the missiles on Tuesday.

Russia called the handover to Ukraine a “gross mistake”. The measure will have serious consequences, wrote Russian ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, on Telegram.

Russian President Vladimir Putin himself also classified the delivery of ATACMS as an “additional threat”. The US made a mistake and Russia could also repel the attacks, Putin said.

Ukraine has been waiting for the delivery of ATACMS for a long time. They are capable of reaching areas far behind the front with a long range, and the weapon is also considered particularly accurate.

Kiev reports attacks on Russian military airfields in occupied territories

The American media outlets “New York Times” and “Washington Post” reported that the weapons delivered to Ukraine were strangled models. There is concern in the West that Ukraine could use the weapons to attack Russian territory.

According to information from Kiev, the Ukrainian armed forces used the missiles to attack military airfields in the occupied territories in eastern Ukraine, destroying several military helicopters. From Ukraine’s perspective, the attack was successful and could now force Russia to shift its forces behind the front.

According to experts at the Washington think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the strikes will likely prompt Russian commanders to disband air forces and “relocate some aircraft to airfields further away from the front,” analysts wrote in a report. recent. The airfields hit were “operationally significant”.

In recent months, the Ukrainian military has attacked bases and depots in the so-called rear area on the Russian side with targeted fire using multiple rocket launchers and Himar missiles from Britain and France, likely forcing them to change strategy.

Due to the relocation of military equipment and troops, the logistical supply chains of material and troops are becoming longer and therefore more complex.

However, the Ukrainian armed forces remain under pressure after the summer offensive failed to achieve the desired gains. However, the ATACMS attack could bring some relief to Ukraine on the eastern front, where the Russian army went on the offensive in the Luhansk region two weeks ago.

According to consistent reports from prominent Russian and Ukrainian military bloggers, the Russians’ success is manageable, but the situation is putting Kiev under pressure. In order to defend itself from attacks by Russian troops on the ground, Ukraine must now reinforce its troops on the ground. According to British intelligence, Moscow wants to use the offensive to protect the occupied region of Luhansk.

Fighting near Bakhmut continues

However, fighting continues unabated in the region around the city of Bakhmut, now completely destroyed. Russia is trying to gain ground here with attacks. So far without success, as analyzed by ISW experts.

It is clear that both Russia and Ukraine, which has gone on the offensive in the South, are working to strengthen their position before winter. Within a few weeks the annual phase of rain will begin, causing large areas of land to become muddy. This makes attacks with armored vehicles more difficult. Only when the ground is frozen in the cold season can a new offensive phase begin.

Ukrainian soldiers © Portal

With the ATACM system, Ukraine received an effective weapon: the range of the accelerated version is said to be 160 kilometers, otherwise a range of 300 kilometers is usual. The missile was launched by Lockheed Martin in the 1990s and therefore does not have GPS control. However, the rockets are so accurate that they can hit an airfield or warehouse.

The weapons system is used to combat so-called targets, which in military jargon are called light and semi-soft, according to a weapons expert. This includes soldiers, but also military equipment such as helicopters or fighter planes. ATACMS is not suitable for fortified buildings or bridges. The Kerch Bridge, which connects Crimea to the Russian mainland, could be damaged by shelling in Ukraine but not permanently destroyed.

Cruise missiles like the German Taurus are more suitable for targets of this type. Ukraine asked Germany to provide these systems, but Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) refused. He fears the war will escalate if Ukraine attacks targets inside Russia.

With a range of 500 kilometers, the Kremlin would also enter the Taurus’s firing range. It also led the federal government to forego delivery, according to circles familiar with the considerations.

According to Ukrainian authorities, at least two people were killed and four were injured in a Russian airstrike on the city of Zaporizhzhia, in southern Ukraine, on Wednesday night. On Tuesday, the air alarm sounded again in the capital Kiev, for the first time in almost two weeks.

Ukrainian and international intelligence agencies assume that Russia will increasingly attack the country’s energy infrastructure as winter approaches.