What is the ATACMS tactical missile system that the United States has authorized Ukraine to use to attack Russia’s interior?

The president of USA Joe Biden, for the first time allowed the forces to Ukraine can use missiles provided by their country for attacks inside Russia .

The information was confirmed by New York Times by officials of the North American country, who stated that it is probable that the arm were initially used against Russian troops and North Korean in the Kursk region of Russia where Ukrainian soldiers launched cross-border raids on August 6.

It is good to remember that Ukraine faces a military invasion launched by Russia on February 24, 2022. .

For more than two and a half years that the war raged, the military and economic aid programs of the United States and kyiv’s Western allies played a decisive role so that his forces could counter the Russian offensive.

The Biden administration’s decision comes just in time two months before President-elect Donald Trump takes office . The change of command is scheduled for January 20, 2025.

Throughout his campaign, the standard bearer of the Republican Party promised to limit support for the country headed by Volodimir Zelensky .

Along with this, Trump promised to end the conflict immediately, but did not provide details. about how he planned to do it.

The information collected by the Washington Post They claim, citing sources close to their actions, that the president-elect said privately, he would support a deal in which Russia would retain some of the captured Ukrainian territory .

US officials told the Times, The Biden administration’s authorization provides for Ukrainian forces to use the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS). .

Previously, The Kremlin has insisted that the use of longer-range Western missiles on its territory could lead to escalation. in the war.

US officials have stated that The government’s green light is a response to Russia’s decision to integrate North Korean troops into the fighting. .

The ATACMS, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, These are ballistic missiles which, depending on the model, can reach targets 300 kilometers away with a warhead containing around 170 kilos of explosives. .

These can be fired from the HIMARS mobile launchers that the United States provided to Ukraine, as well as from the M270 older ones shipped from the UK and Germany.

Although they tend to be classified as “long range missiles” is a subjective term specialists told the aforementioned media.

They can penetrate further into Russia than any other Ukrainian missile but they cannot travel as far as a cruise missile or an intercontinental ballistic missile.

The system was developed in the 1980s with the aim of destroying Soviet targets using a guided weapon.

Currently, according to Timesthe Pentagon has two versions of the ATACMS in its arsenal: a fragmentation weapon and another which only carries an explosive charge .

Since the start of the war, President Zelensky insisted that the United States must supply and authorize the use of these missiles in attacks against Russia. .

The Biden administration supplied ATACMS to Ukraine in 2023, but had until now refused approval in order to be able to use them across the border .

The United States’ wait was due to Authorizing its use by Ukrainian forces for attacks in Russia could increase tensions with the Kremlin and fuel escalation. as Russian authorities have repeatedly warned.

However, the officials consulted by the Times they said that The incorporation of North Korean troops into Russian ranks contributed to this decision. .

Russian troops are preparing to carry out a massive attack with 50,000 soldiers, including North Korean troops, against entrenched Ukrainian positions in Kursk according to the aforementioned American newspaper.

This offensive aims to recover Russian territory that Ukrainian forces managed to conquer through cross-border raids that began in August .

In the midst of this scenario, the Ukrainian army could use ATACMS missiles to attack enemy troop concentrations, military equipment, munitions depots and supply lines in Russia.

This way, could affect the effectiveness of the Russian counter-offensive .

In the past, the army The United States fired around 30 ATACMS missiles in 1991, as part of Operation Desert Storm. according to government documents reviewed by the Times.

They were used to attack Iraq’s medium-range ballistic missile launchers in addition to surface-to-air missile sites.

These were first generation cluster versions capable of flying approximately 160 kilometers and which, Once on their targets, they dropped around 950 small bombs. .

USA also fired more than 400 of these tactical missiles in the so-called Operation Iraqi Freedom. especially in the early hours of the 2003 invasion.

Nevertheless, The use of cluster munitions was subsequently restricted because they regularly failed and could generate consequences even after a fight ended.

For this reason, many of the first ATACMS were renovated in the 2000s andand replaced the small bombs with a single explosive warhead .

Kremlin spokesperson Dimitri Peskov declared this Monday, November 18, during his daily press conference: “If the decision has been made, it means a new spiral of tension and a completely new situation regarding the participation of the United States in this conflict” .

Also accused the Biden administration of “adding fuel to the fire and continuing to fuel tensions” according to statements saved by the BBC .

In September, the same President Vladimir Putin warned that If Ukraine were allowed to use long-range weapons in Russia, it would consider this action to be “direct participation.” NATO countries.

Shortly after, the Kremlin leader announced changes in nuclear doctrine of the country.

The latter is the document that establishes the conditions under which Russia could decide to use its nuclear weapons .