In mid-February, US President Joe Biden approved the delivery of over 100 new long-range missiles to Ukraine. These missiles, part of the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), were kept secret to prevent the Russian army from preparing for attacks from greater distances.
The previous missiles provided to Ukraine had a range of about 160 kilometers, but the new missiles have a range of 300 kilometers. This allows the Ukrainians to target areas further into occupied territory, including Crimea, where Russian troops and supplies are present.
Last week, these long-range missiles were delivered secretly to Ukraine by the United States. According to a report by The New York Times, they were used by the Ukrainian army in attacks on their Russian opponents earlier in the week.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Ukrainian army used these new missiles for the first time in attacks on Russian troops in Berdiansk and Dzhankoi, Crimea respectively. Social media images showed ammunition supplies still on fire hours after the attack, indicating successful hits.
