Ukraine has reduced the number of launches of long-range missiles, in particular American ATACMS, probably because their stock is running out, as well as because of a possible change in the policy of the U.S. President-elect Donald Trump regarding strikes deep into russia.
This is stated in the material of The New York Times.
Thus, according to American officials, the Biden administration sent Ukraine up to 500 ATACMS missiles from Pentagon warehouses. Then the Defense Forces launched them at military targets in the russian-occupied eastern Ukrainian territories and in Crimea.
According to American officials, at the time Biden gave permission to use the missiles for strikes deep into russia, Ukraine had only "tens of missiles" left - perhaps about 50. According to them, there was no chance of getting more. Limited American supplies were already intended for deployment in the Middle East and Asia.
British officials, who allowed Ukraine to use its long-range Storm Shadow missiles on russian soil after Biden’s decision, also recently said they could not provide more.
The publication notes that Trump is unlikely to step in to fill the gap. He recently told Time magazine that he disagreed “very vehemently” with with Ukraine’s use of ATACMS on russian soil and called Biden’s decision to provide them “foolish.” The next day, the kremlin said Trump’s position “fully aligned” with moscow’s.
According to the russian defense ministry and russian military bloggers, Ukraine has carried out at least half a dozen missile strikes, using at least 31 ATACMS and 14 Storm Shadows. Neither Ukraine has denied the reports.
According to officials and analysts, the most devastating strike was a Storm Shadow missile fired on November 20 at a russian command bunker near Maryino in Kursk.
And on November 21, russia launched its new Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile over the city of Dnipro. This was seen as a warning that russia could strike anywhere in Europe with the new missile, a message to Europe and America about the possible consequences.
Six days later, a russian general reportedly called Biden’s top military adviser to discuss concerns about escalation, insisting that his missile tests had been long-planned. After that call, Ukraine did not launch either ATACMS or Storm Shadow for two weeks.
Some analysts believe, as quoted by The New York Times, that Ukraine has slowed down in its use of missiles because they were initially aimed at russian targets it has long wanted to hit. Now that its missiles are few and far between, Ukraine is acting more deliberately.
On December 11, the russian Defense Ministry said that Ukraine had fired six ATACMS missiles at a military airfield in the southern russian city of Taganrog, a seaport on the Sea of Azov, and promised Ukraine retaliation.
Russia responded with a large-scale airstrike, launching 93 missiles and nearly 200 drones at Ukrainian energy sector facilities.
On December 18, Ukraine fired six ATACMS missiles and four Storm Shadows at one of the country’s largest chemical plants in russia’s Rostov Oblast, according to a statement from the russian Defense Ministry.
Two days later, russia launched a barrage of missiles at Kyiv; russian officials said this was in retaliation for Western missile strikes.
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