Strana 26
Authorization to attack
The relatively little losses might suggest
that November was a quiet month. However,
the reality is quite the opposite. The most
significant event of the month occurred
neither in Ukraine, nor on the European
continent—it was the U.S. presidential election
won by Donald Trump. Both Trump and those
in his circle made several pivotal, often
contradictory statements regarding the war in
Ukraine. Trump himself claimed he would end
the conflict quickly. The world now awaits to
see how he intends to achieve this.
The U.S. presidential election is somewhat
linked to another crucial development. Ukraine
had long sought permission to use Western
weapons for strikes on Russian territory.
It finally received this authorization, albeit
with significant restrictions. The approval
applied only to certain weapons (e.g., 227 mm
GMLRS rockets launched from HIMARS with
an 80 km range) and only for specific border
regions of Russia. Kyiv repeatedly requested
permission to strike with longer-range
missiles as well. However, President Joe Biden
granted authorization to use tactical ballistic
ATACMS missiles (610 mm caliber, with a range
of up to 300 km depending on the version) only
after the election—effectively too late.
Why? Russia had long anticipated this move
and relocated as much as possible out of range.
This included pulling aircraft from bases
near the Ukrainian border. Moreover, Ukraine
reportedly received only about 50 ATACMS
missiles, a small supply. Some have already
been used in at least eight known attacks
on targets in occupied Ukrainian territories.
This means that for strikes on Russian soil,
Ukraine cannot afford to waste them and must
carefully choose its targets.
Additionally, U.S. authorization is limited
to the Kursk region and its immediate
surroundings, making this more of a symbolic
gesture than a strategic breakthrough.
Key Targets
Despite their limited supply, Ukraine acted
decisively, launching its first attack on
Russian territory during the night of November
18–19, the same day news of U.S. authorization
was announced in the media. The target was
a munitions depot in Karachev, Bryansk region,
approximately 110 km from the Ukrainian
border. The depot stored missile and artillery
ammunition used by Russian forces in the
Kursk region.
The Russian Ministry of Defense reported
that it intercepted five of six incoming missiles,
claiming that falling debris caused only a minor
fire. However, Ukrainian sources stated that
eight ATACMS missiles were launched, with
only two intercepted. Videos filmed by locals
UKRAINE
An ATACMS missile is being launched from an M142 HIMARS launcher. Illustrative photo by the US Army.
A Ukrainian drone captured the Storm Shadow missile attack on the Marjino estate near Kursk.
INFO Eduard26
January 2025