Everything depends on US: ISW reveals 245 Russian military targets that Ukraine can strike
Photo: US President Joe Biden (getty images)
The relocation of Russian combat aircraft from airfields within the range of ATACMS does not reduce the significance of Ukraine’s request to the United States for long-range American weapons to target Russian territory. The ATACMS range includes 245 Russian military and paramilitary sites, of which only 16 (6.5%) are airbases, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
ISW has provided a list of these sites with coordinates and an interactive map to illustrate how US restrictions on Ukraine’s use of ATACMS limit its ability to strike crucial military infrastructure in Russia.
The ISW highlights a Politico publication where anonymous senior US officials suggested that the relocation of Russian combat aircraft from airfields within the ATACMS range somehow reduces the justification or importance of Ukraine’s request. Reports indicate that Russian forces have allegedly moved 90% of their aircraft equipped with glide bombs further from airfields within the range of Storm Shadow and ATACMS missiles.
According to ISW, 16 Russian airbases are within the range of Ukrainian ATACMS, and the institute has confirmed the relocation of Russian aircraft.
However, ISW analysts emphasize that this relocation does not diminish the importance of allowing Ukraine to use ATACMS against the hundreds of other Russian military sites.
The maximum range of Ukrainian HIMARS, which the US permits Ukraine to use in Russia under restrictions, covers 20 such sites. At least 225 known sites are within the range of ATACMS but not HIMARS. At least 209 of the 245 (over 85%) known Russian military sites within the ATACMS range are not airbases.
Western restrictions risk not just military, but also civilian lives
Western partners’ refusal to allow Ukraine to use provided weapons deep into Russian territory is driven by concerns over the reaction of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, who is feared might retaliate with nuclear weapons. As a result, Russian terrorists can kill Ukrainian civilians and destroy Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure almost unchecked, at distances of their choosing.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that Western partners are avoiding direct answers to questions about maintaining restrictions on weapons used for strikes into Russia.
According to Politico, Ukrainian authorities are preparing to present a list of targets within Russian territory to US national security officials. This list would outline the potential targets that the Ukrainian Armed Forces could hit if Washington lifted the restrictions on the use of long-range American weapons.
