United States sent about 20 ATACMS missiles to Ukraine

The United States has sent about 20 ATACMS missiles to Ukraine. One of the conditions for the delivery is that they will not be used for attacks on Russian territory.

Source: The New York Times with reference to two Western officials, and a US official

Quote from NYT: "After many reports that a decision had been made to supply the weapons, their delivery was carried out in secrecy, out of concern that they could be attacked by Russia as they were shipped into the country. In addition, Ukraine wanted to try to catch the Russians off guard. 

Two Western officials said the United States had sent about 20 of the missiles to Ukraine."

Details: Ukraine used ATACMS missiles to strike two air bases in Russian-occupied territory on Tuesday, according to a US official with knowledge of the matter. 

According to officials, the ATACMS missiles sent to the Ukrainians are cluster munitions that scatter 950 small bombs that can cause damage over a large area. This type of weapon is banned by an international agreement that the United States is not a party to.

Quote: "It is unclear how much of a difference the missile system will make on the battlefield; other Western-provided weapons, including tanks, have provided only a marginal advantage in a war that has bogged down for months. And the version of the missile sent by the United States, the last major system Ukraine had sought from the United States, is limited in range.

Still, officials said that it was sufficient to reach almost all of the main bases that Russia has used for air support and for supplying their troops in Ukraine.

One of the conditions put on the Ukrainians is that the ATACMS…may not be used to attack inside Russian territory, one official said."

Background:

• According to The Wall Street Journal, over the last few days the US has secretly sent "a small number of missiles" to Ukraine. The sources do not disclose other details, but the modification of the ATACMS received by Ukraine was said to have a range of about 160 km.
• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, after a strike on airfields in the occupied territories, thanked the United States and said that the ATACMS missiles have proven themselves to be efficient on the battlefield.

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