Pentagon has prevented Ukraine from striking Russia with long-range arms for months - WSJ
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (Photo: Getty Images)
The Pentagon has blocked Ukraine from using long-range missiles to strike targets inside Russia for several months, reports the Wall Street Journal.
According to the outlet, citing sources, a high-level approval process at the US Department of Defense, which has not been publicly disclosed, has since late spring prevented Ukraine from deploying American long-range tactical missile systems (Atacms) against targets on Russian territory.
Two officials told the Journal that in at least one instance, Ukraine sought to use Atacms against a target in Russia but was denied approval.
Authorization for such strikes can be given only personally by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. This concerns TACMS missiles and the British-French Storm Shadow cruise missiles, as they rely on targeting data provided by the US.
The procedure was established by Deputy Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby, who is known for treating the confrontation with China in the Pacific as such a high-priority task that, in his view, it justifies limiting US military commitments in other parts of the world. Media reports have also linked Colby to the brief suspension of supplies to Ukraine in early July.
The Wall Street Journal writes that this policy has effectively nullified the Biden administration’s decision to allow Ukraine to strike Russian territory.
Use of ATACMS by Ukraine
Earlier, RBC-Ukraine reported that the administration of former US President Joe Biden had authorized Ukraine to use long-range ATACMS missiles to strike targets inside Russia. Western media noted, however, that Washington’s decision reportedly restricted ATACMS use to the Kursk region.
Ukraine is believed to have carried out its first strike with US-supplied ATACMS missiles on Russian territory on November 19 last year, hitting a military facility near the city of Karachev in Russia’s Bryansk region. The target was the 67th arsenal of the Russian Ministry of Defense’s Main Missile and Artillery Directorate (GRAU).
At the end of 2024, Western media reported that Ukraine’s stock of ATACMS missiles could be running low.
According to a New York Times report in late December 2024, Ukraine used the US-supplied ATACMS missiles in strikes on Russian military targets. US and NATO officials described the strikes as effective but noted that Ukrainian forces could use the missiles more judiciously in terms of quantity and target selection.
