The Ukrainian military is slowly taking off the gloves and striking military targets within Russia.

In late June, the Ukrainian Air Force destroyed a Russian regimental command and control post within Russia, showing what it can do if allowed to use all of its munitions unrestrained.

Long-Range Strikes and Restrictions

The Russian military target was close to the border in the Belgorod Oblast near Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city.

 According to the Institute for the Study of War’s latest operational update, “Satellite imagery confirms that the Ukrainian Air Force conducted a successful strike against a reported Russian regimental command post in Belgorod Oblast in late June 2024, likely with Western-provided weapons—further demonstrating how Ukraine could disrupt Russian offensive operations should the West continue to lift restrictions on Ukraine's use of Western-provided weapons to strike military targets in Russia.” 

In many ways, the Ukrainian military has been fighting with one arm tied behind its back. On the one hand, the military aid provided by the West has allowed Ukraine to fight back and liberate much of the lands forcefully taken by the invading Russian armies. On the other hand, the restrictions placed by the United States on the use of some of the weapon systems have prevented the Ukrainian military from using them to their full effect. Moreover, the stance of the White House has encouraged other contributing countries to place similar restraints on some of the weapon systems they have sent Ukraine.

As far as the weapon systems affected, we are talking predominately about long-range munitions with sufficient destructive capability to cause serious damage, such as the MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) and the Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missile. Indeed, for most of the war, the Ukrainian military was prevented from using two of its most effective weapon systems, the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS), to their full effect.

Crimea, however, is another issue. Invaded and illegally annexed by Russia in 2014, the Crimean Peninsula is a key strategic piece of land in the region. The Ukrainians have treated Crimea as their own throughout the conflict, and the West has generally aligned with that rationale and allowed the use of donated weapon systems on the peninsula. The results have been great. In repeated strikes with ballistic and cruise missiles, the Ukrainian forces have taken out important command and control facilities, logistical hubs, air defense stations, radars, ammunition depots, fuel dumps, and other high-value military targets.

The war has been going on for nearly 900 days. This morning, a Russian missile struck a children’s hospital in Kyiv. It is high time that the fear of escalation shifts to Russia and not Ukraine.

About the Author 

Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.

All images are Creative Commons.