Ukraine has received permission to use long-range missiles. Russian strikes on Sumy and Odesa hit residential buildings, leaving dozens dead and injured. Germany will provide Ukraine with 4,000 drones nicknamed “mini-Taurus”, according to media reports.
Ukraine obtains authorization to use long-range missiles
US President Joe Biden, according to media reports, authorized Ukraine to use ATACMS missiles to carry out deep strikes on Russian territory. As the New York Times reports, these weapons would likely be used first against Russian and North Korean forces to protect Ukrainian troops in Russia’s Kursk region.
Joe Biden’s decision to lift restrictions on Ukraine’s use of Western weapons for deep strikes in Russia is also aimed, in part, at deterring North Korea from sending more troops to participate in the conflict .
The Washington Post, citing a senior US official, says North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un must understand that sending troops would be a “costly mistake”. Two unnamed US officials confirmed that Biden authorized the use of long-range US weapons to carry out limited strikes in Russia, in response to North Korea’s deployment of thousands of troops to support the Kremlin in the war against ‘Ukraine.
According to the WP, around 10,000 elite North Korean troops have been deployed to the Kursk region. The Biden administration fears that other North Korean special units may join these efforts.
Reuters reports, citing sources, that Ukraine plans to carry out its first long-range strikes in the coming days, probably with ATACMS missiles, which have a range of up to 306 km.
In his evening speech on November 17, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky commented on reports regarding the authorization of the United States, the United Kingdom and France for deep strikes with the SCALP/Storm Shadow and ATACMS missiles. “The plan to strengthen Ukraine is a victory plan that I presented to our partners. One of the main points is the ability to strike at long range for our army. Today, the media talk a lot about this authorization. But strikes are not done with words. These things are not announced. The missiles will speak for themselves. Without a doubt,” Zelensky said in a video posted on Telegram.
Separately, the French newspaper Le Figaro reported that the United Kingdom and France had also authorized Ukraine to carry out deep strikes on Russian territory with SCALP/Storm Shadow missiles, before removing this information from its publications .
On November 18, Axios clarified that the United States had given authorization for long-range strikes only in the part of the Kursk region where North Korean troops are located.
Analysts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) commented on reports from several Western media outlets that Ukraine has received authorization to carry out long-range strikes with ATACMS and SCALP/Storm Shadow missiles on Russian territory, but probably only in the Kursk region.
ISW experts note that this partial lifting of restrictions on Ukraine’s use of long-range Western weapons against military targets in Russia will not entirely deprive Russian forces of the ability to hide such targets elsewhere in Russia. Indeed, hundreds of Russian military targets will remain in areas covered by ATACMS in other Russian border regions, beyond the Kursk region.
Russian strikes on Sumy and Odesa: residential buildings hit, deaths and injuries.
On Sunday evening, November 17, explosions rang out in Sumy. Acting Deputy Mayor Artem Kobzar reported a strike on a high-rise residential building. Russia hit the building with ballistic missiles. In addition to the 11 dead, including two children, the Russian attack injured 84 people in Sumy, including 11 children. According to the regional military administration, the city was hit by ballistic missiles equipped with fragmentation charges, causing heavy damage.
The Military Administration also reported that the Russian army struck critical infrastructure in Sumy. The power outage in the city has been confirmed.
On November 18, Russian aggressors launched a missile strike on Odesa. The Ukrainian Air Force reported at 11:58 a.m. that Russia launched a ballistic missile in the direction of Odesa.
At 12:34, the head of the Odesa regional administration, Oleh Kiper, confirmed a missile attack carried out by the Russian army against Odesa.
“There are victims and injured. Civilian infrastructure, including residential buildings, was damaged,” he wrote.
MP Oleksiy Honcharenko, present at the scene of the tragedy, said that the Russian attack in Odesa killed 8 people and injured many others. A Russian missile directly hit an educational institution building, but did not explode.
According to him, fires were reported in several residential buildings.
Germany to deliver 4,000 drones to Ukraine, called “mini-Taurus”, according to media reports
Germany may soon begin mass deliveries of kamikaze drones to Ukraine, which have high autonomy in the face of electronic warfare (REW) interference and can strike targets with great effectiveness over long distances.
This is what Bild reports, citing its sources and the words of Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, who practically confirmed these intentions.
These would be attack drones produced by the Helsing company, equipped with artificial intelligence technologies that give them increased autonomy in conditions of enemy electronic interference. In the industry, these drones are compared to the Taurus missiles, which Chancellor Olaf Scholz categorically refuses to supply.
A total of 4,000 of these drones have reportedly been ordered for Ukraine. Starting in December, they could be delivered in batches of several hundred per month.
Some prototypes are already said to be tested and improved in real combat conditions in eastern Ukraine.
The main feature of these drones is their advanced software, which allows them to orient themselves in the landscape using numerous markers and to navigate towards their target even in difficult weather conditions, devastated terrain or under the influence electronic countermeasures. Once the target is identified and confirmed by the operator, the drone can attack it autonomously, even in the event of a loss of communication.
The range of these drones would be four times that of typical kamikaze drones used by Ukraine (although the article does not specify which drones are used as a reference). At the same time, they are significantly cheaper than the American Switchblade or the Russian Zala and Lancet drones.
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said he was “very happy that the delivery of these drones equipped with AI technologies is already starting” and added that Ukraine will be able to use them against important enemy targets, such as military posts. command.
On February 24, 2024, a memorandum of cooperation was signed between the Ministry of Strategic Industries of Ukraine and Helsing Company.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz recently reaffirmed his refusal to supply Ukraine with long-range Taurus missiles.
For his part, CDU opposition leader Friedrich Merz expressed support for the delivery of Taurus to Ukrainian forces, stressing that this would not make Germany a party to the conflict.
The “Liberal Democrats” could initiate a vote in the Bundestag on the delivery of the Taurus to Ukraine.
