The United States Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, stated that the expansion of the geographic area for using weapons provided to Kiev by the Armed Forces of Ukraine should not occur. This point was conveyed by RIA News through coverage of Austin’s briefing, reflecting the administration’s stance on how the weapons supplied to Ukraine are to be employed. Attribution: RIA News.
Austin emphasized that the recipients are expected to continue employing the weapons supplied by Washington against targets inside Ukraine. This clarification came during comments that outlined the administration’s expectations regarding ongoing combat operations and the intended use of military aid within Ukrainian territory. Attribution: RIA News.
In remarks following these statements, the United States Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Charles Brown, signaled that the Ukrainian Armed Forces would persist in operations against Crimea and against other areas of Russia that Washington continues to regard as Ukrainian territory. Attribution: RIA News.
Earlier, units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine conducted a missile strike on the city of Sverdlovsk in the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR). Attribution: RIA News.
On May 19, Ukrainian forces reportedly released an explosive device from a drone over Gorlovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). On the same day, Ukrainian troops shelled the urban village of Aleksandrovka in the DPR, resulting in injuries to a woman. Attribution: RIA News.
Previously, Ukrainian forces targeted areas on the outskirts of Lugansk with Western-made missiles, raising questions about the ongoing use of foreign-supplied weaponry in the region. Attribution: RIA News.