“The situation has changed”. Pentagon no longer prohibits AFU from attacking targets in Russia The Times: US no longer insists APU not attack Russian soil

Citing a source at the Pentagon, the British Times newspaper writes that Washington is reviewing its assessment of the threat posed by Moscow and is no longer insisting that Kiev not strike Russian soil. According to the newspaper, this happened after Russia began attacking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

Previously, US policy was based on the fact that Ukraine would be provided with American weapons, provided that it was not used for attacks on the territory of the Russian Federation, and the choice of supplied equipment would be limited so as not to provoke. An open conflict between Russia and NATO.

The Times source claims that the United States is now less concerned that an attack by the Ukrainian military on Russian soil could prompt Moscow to escalate the situation sharply. As The Times explained, the Pentagon had previously feared that the Kremlin would respond to Ukrainian attacks with either tactical nuclear weapons or an attack on neighboring NATO countries.

“We still use the same upgrade calculations, but the fear of climbing has changed from the beginning. [военных действий]. The situation has changed,” the source said.

According to him, this was because Washington’s accounts of the conflict “changed as a result of the suffering and persecution of the Ukrainians by the Russians.”

The source states that the US is more likely to supply longer-range weapons to Ukraine. But according to him, Washington doesn’t want everyone to see how it has given Kiev the “green light” for attacks on Russian soil.

“We wouldn’t say to Kiev ‘Don’t shoot the Russians (in Russia or in the Crimea)’.” We cannot tell them what to do. It’s up to them to decide how to use their weapons. “However, we insist that only the Ukrainian military abide by international laws of war when they use weapons supplied by us,” an unnamed Pentagon official said.

The Times’ interlocutor explained that Russian civilians should not become targets for the Ukrainian military. Washington also opposes the killing of certain individuals. “As far as we know, Ukraine complies with these conditions,” the source said.

The changing nature of hostilities

The Times notes that with the “tacit approval” of the Pentagon, Ukrainian forces are making more aggressive and more persistent attempts to attack targets inside Russia. To do this, they use unmanned aerial vehicles, including reconnaissance Tu-141s modified for this purpose.

A change in the position of the American authorities could mean that Ukraine will be supplied with longer-range weapons, which Kiev has long sought to buy from Washington. ATACMS ballistic missiles with a range of 310 km and MQ-1C Gray Eagle unmanned aerial vehiclesIt can be equipped with AGM-114 Hellfire missiles.

The newspaper states that fears of a potential escalation could increase sharply if the US decides to supply Ukraine with longer-range weapons capable of hitting Russian soil. However, Pentagon officials have made it clear that they are seriously considering Kiev’s demands for longer-range American weapons. “Anything is possible,” said a senior US Department of Defense official.

“Management [президента США Джо Байдена] Eric Edelman, former U.S. Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, is limiting himself too much because of the so-called possible threat of an escalation spiral, which is mostly an illusion.

“The best option for all stakeholders is to get Ukrainians to win as quickly as possible. That’s why it makes sense to give them ATACMS, the Gray Eagle, and additionally prepare a batch of main battle tanks.”

help from the USA

Russia accused the United States and its allies of helping Ukraine target weapons. In particular, on December 10, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said that the Americans participated in the work of the HIMARS MLRS and the targeting was carried out using American military satellites.

According to him, the US military “coordinates satellite and intelligence information on the ground, installs the correct coordinates, MLRS software, and monitors the effectiveness of the use of installations.”

According to him, Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in particular targeted the strategic airfields “Dyagilevo” and “Engels” using the American GPS system.

Nebenzya said that Russia “carefully records all such criminal acts of the United States and its allies. “It will have special legal consequences for everyone involved,” said the permanent representative of the Russian Federation.

State Department response

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that after the attacks on Russian airfields, the US did not help Ukraine to hit targets outside its borders.

“We do not encourage the Ukrainians to attack Russian territory and we do not give them the opportunity to carry out such attacks,” said Blinken.

He added that Washington does not have detailed information about the Ukrainian air strikes on Russian airfields.

Blinken said the United States will continue to send weapons to Ukraine.

“Together with our partners around the world, we are determined to ensure that they are equipped to defend themselves, their land and their freedom,” the Foreign Minister said.

Blinken reminded that the electricity, heat and water supply infrastructure in Ukraine was interrupted and emphasized that “it is important to understand what Ukrainians go through every day”.

On December 5, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that it had “attempted to hit” with jet drones the military airfields of Diaghilevo in the Ryazan region of Ukraine and Engels in the Saratov region. The airports “Dyagilevo” and “Engels” are located approximately 500 and 750 km from the Ukrainian border, respectively. Russian strategic aviation is based on them. According to the agency, the Ukrainian drones were intercepted, but their fragments damaged the skin of the fuselage of two planes “slightly”, killing three soldiers and injuring four.

“It turned out that there are no strategic facilities left in Russia that can be considered absolutely safe,” said Alexander Kots, Russian war correspondent and member of the Human Rights Council.

After Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine, the border regions of the Russian Federation were bombed more than once. The attacks were reported by the authorities of the Belgorod, Bryansk and Kursk regions.

The Times writes that the United States is no longer insisting that the Ukrainian military not strike Russian soil, because they are less afraid of an escalation from Moscow. The newspaper claims that Washington no longer wishes only to attack the Russian civilian population and not to kill certain individuals. A Pentagon source said the US is now more likely to provide longer-range weapons to Ukraine.



Source: Gazeta

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