Ukraine uses ballistic missiles secretly purchased from the US

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Thursday, April 25, 2024

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Ukraine fired conventional long-range ballistic missiles, secretly supplied by the US, at two Russian military sites last Wednesday, according to American officials. Targeted sites included a military airfield in Crimea and troop locations in occupied Berdyansk. A US official told CNN that the US agreed to provide the missiles to Ukraine in response to Russia reportedly receiving and deploying long-range ballistic missiles purchased from North Korea and for attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.

File photo of an ATACMS missile launch in 2006.
Image: US Army, Fort Sill.

The missiles were part of a secret weapons deal made between Ukraine and the US in February and the weapons were delivered last month. US officials told reporters in a press briefing that the deal was kept secret in order to maintain operational security. On Wednesday, US President Joe Biden signed a supplemental foreign aid package that included almost US$61 billion worth of aid for Ukraine. Among its provisions, the package allocates US$1 billion in weapons for Ukraine. US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan acknowledged that additional long-range missiles will be sent as part of that weapons package.

The Kremlin stated that Ukraine's employment of long-range missiles would not alter the results of the "special military operation." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters "This will not fundamentally change the outcome of the special military operation. We will achieve our goal. But this will cause more problems for Ukraine itself."

The missiles deployed were part of the Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS. Long-range variants can have an effective range of 186 miles (300 kilometers). The US had already been providing Ukraine medium-ranged ATACMS since at least late 2023. Initially the US refused the Ukrainian government's request to send long-range variants out of concern they would be used on targets well within Russian territory and thus exacerbating the conflict. The delivery of the long-range variants came with the stipulation they only be used against targets within Ukrainian territory.

The US Army is replacing its stocks of ATACMS with the Precision Strike Missile, which has a longer range and double the carrying capacity per launch vehicle. Defense News reports that the supplemental contains approximately US$48 billion in "Ukraine-related funding for the Pentagon." US$23 billion of that is allocated for restocking US weaponry provided to Ukraine.


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