The use of Western weapons against targets in Russia has long been a subject of contention between Ukraine and its partners. At the same time, Washington does not see any breaches of agreed restrictions in the advance on Russian territory.
During the fighting in the Kursk region, Russia claimed to have shelled several Western armored vehicles, such as the German Marder.
In the border area with Russia in the Kursk region, fights continue for the fourth day after the sudden invasion by Ukrainian forces. Russian armed forces, in the unusual role of defenders on their own territory, say they are inflicting significant losses on Ukrainians. However, they have not yet been able to repel the sudden attack.
The Ukrainian side continues to say little about the offensive. However, on Thursday, an advisor to President Volodymyr Zelensky told the Washington Post that the Ukrainian army had captured hundreds of Russian soldiers.
Attack on Military Transport
In the Ukrainian advance, Western military equipment is also used. This intensifies the debate about their use against targets in Russia. On Friday morning, images emerged of a column of fourteen Russian military transport vehicles destroyed in the Kursk region. Each vehicle can carry about thirty soldiers. It is noted that the attack was carried out from the American missile launcher Himars.
Ukrainian Advancements in Kursk
The column was destroyed on the road towards the town of Rylsk, where a part of Ukrainian units was trying to advance. It is possible that Russian soldiers were sent to the area as reinforcements. However, it is impossible to independently verify how many casualties the attack caused and what weapon system was actually used.
German Lynx and American Strykers
Photos of American and German Stryker and Marder armored vehicles, allegedly involved in the attack on Kursk, have already been circulated. Without direct confirmation of the presence of American military technology on Russian territory, a State Department spokesperson stated on Thursday that such deployment corresponds to the conditions of American military assistance. Ukraine is taking measures to protect itself from attacks from Russian territory.
The head of the Defense Committee of the German Bundestag, Marcus Faber from the FDP, also sees no problem in the use of German weapons on Russian territory, as he explained to the Funke media group. However, Berlin does not want to comment on whether this aligns with the official position of the government or if Kyiv consulted with Germany before the attack.
The use of long-range missiles remains a taboo
The use of Western weapons has been a subject of controversy between Ukraine and its partners for several months. It is undisputed that Ukraine has the right to attack military targets in Russia according to international humanitarian law. Washington and Berlin justified their disagreement primarily out of fear of further escalation that could lead to a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia.
For weeks, Russia had been amassing troops near the border and preparing for an attack. But Ukrainian defenders were tied up until Russian forces effectively crossed the border.
Since then, the directive has been that Western technologies can be used on Russian territory if there is an immediate threat of attack. Ukrainian actions in Kursk demonstrate a certain latitude in Kyiv’s interpretation of these requirements.
The initial restriction exclusively to the border territory of Kharkiv, obviously, no longer applies. However, the use of long-range weapons, such as Atacms missiles, against targets deep in Russia is still prohibited. This was once again emphasized by the U.S. State Department on Thursday.
However, as is often the case in this war, this red line seems somewhat artificial and not set in stone. Moscow’s reaction to the Ukrainian advance into Russian territory, which until recently was considered unthinkable, reinforces this impression. In fact, Russia’s escalation potential, already waging war with half a million troops, is limited, except for the nuclear option.
Drone attacks behind the front line
Ukraine sometimes manages to strike far behind the front line using its own weapon technologies. On Friday evening, a drone attack on Lipetsk military airport triggered an explosion at an ammunition depot. It is noted that a large number of guided bombs KAB-500 were destroyed. Lipetsk is located nearly 300 kilometers from Ukrainian territory. Last week, Ukrainians destroyed another military airport’s ammunition depot with drones near Morozovsk in southern Russia.
