US Should Allow UKR to Strike ALL Legitimate Mil Targets in RU’s Operational and Deep Rear; UKR Gradually Gains Upper Hand in Crimea Battle; 70% of Vovchansk Under UKR Control; Kharkiv Reg Tense but Under Control; Belgorod Hit With Massive Rocket Attack; RUs Hit in Soledar, LIVE UPDATES and LOTS MORE
U.S. should allow Ukraine to strike military targets in Russia’s operational and deep rear – ISW:
The United States should allow Ukraine to strike all legitimate military targets in Russia’s operational and deep rear with US-provided weapons.
This is said in a report by the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW), according to Ukrinform.
As noted, the current lack of clarity about U.S. restrictions on Ukraine’s use of U.S.-provided weapons to strike military targets in Russian territory misses an opportunity to deter further Russian offensive efforts across the border into northern Ukraine.
National Security Council Director for Europe Michael Carpenter said that the U.S. policy allowing Ukrainian forces to strike certain Russian military targets in Russia applies only to the Kharkiv region. at the same time,
At the same time, Politico reported that the Biden administration had quietly given Ukraine permission to strike inside Russia, solely near the area of Kharkiv, using U.S.-provided weapons.
Analysts believe that Carpenter’s comments and the Politico report together suggest there is ambiguity on what the U.S. has explicitly authorized regarding these strikes amid signaling that the U.S. is open to expanding these authorizations to other areas in Ukraine should Russian forces launch offensive operations elsewhere along the international border area.
The report says that the increased likelihood of other Russian offensive operations in northern Ukraine would require Ukrainian forces to reallocate existing resources to deter or defend against the offensive operations, creating opportunities for Russian forces elsewhere in the theater to exploit. —>READ MORE HERE
The Economist: Ukraine gradually gains upper hand in Crimea battle:
With numerous strategic assets in Crimea now vulnerable, Ukraine is effectively leveraging its aerial capabilities.
The Biden administration’s approval of a $61 billion military support package in April, after a six-month delay, has begun to show results: the introduction of ATACMS ballistic missiles, capable of hitting any target within 300 kilometers, has enabled Ukraine to strike with deadly precision in Russian-occupied Crimea.
The Economist writes that although a ground operation in Crimea remains distant, Russia is losing its grip in the aerial phase of this battle. With numerous strategic assets in Crimea now vulnerable, Ukraine is effectively leveraging its new military capabilities. Despite maintaining some restrictions on American weapons targeting Russian territory, the Biden administration has allowed the use of these powerful missiles in Crimea, where Ukraine does not have to fight with “one hand tied behind its back.”
Former US forces commander in Europe, Ben Hodges, emphasizes the strategic importance of Crimea to Russia. The peninsula, viewed by Russia as an “unsinkable aircraft carrier,” has seen significant investment in military infrastructure, which is now at risk. British strategist Sir Lawrence Freedman points out that a large-scale amphibious assault on Crimea is not feasible, but the peninsula’s numerous vulnerable targets make it a weak spot for Russia.
Ukraine’s objective is to isolate Crimea, pushing Russian air and sea forces away from southern Ukraine and strangling the peninsula’s logistics.
Ukraine’s arsenal, including British and French-supplied Storm Shadow and SCALP cruise missiles, homemade maritime and aerial drones, and now ATACMS, has significantly impacted Russian defenses. Systematic attacks have already forced the bulk of the Russian Black Sea Fleet out of Crimea, degraded air defenses, and targeted key airbases. The much-vaunted S-400 air-defense systems have proven less effective, with combined drone and missile attacks costing Russia several of these expensive systems. —>READ MORE HERE
Follow links below to +++++relevant+++++ and related stories:
+++++Russia-Ukraine News LATEST UPDATES: (REUTERS) (AP) (NY POST) and (WSJ)+++++
+++++70% of Vovchansk under Ukrainian control amid fierce fighting+++++
+++++With US OK, Ukraine Hits Russia’s Belgorod in Massive Rocket Attack+++++
+++++Details of the AFU’s strike on the enemy in occupied Soledar have emerged+++++
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