NOT AN ESCALATION for UK to let Ukraine hit bombers in Russia before they take off to fire their missiles at Ukraine - Just PROTECTING ITSELF - Kier Starmer’s policy is IDENTICAL to Rishi Sunak's
For those who get scared please remember: Ukraine is ALREADY hitting targets in Russia and THIS IS PERMITTED IN A DEFENSIVE WAR. If a country has bombers that take off every day to attack your cities with one ton glide bombs powerful enough to destroy an apartment block in one go - it is NOT ESCALATORY TO HIT THOSE BOMBERS BEFORE THEY TAKE OFF. It is LEGITIMATE SELF DEFENCE.
Kier Starmer is continuing the existing UK policy which it had at least since 1st June.
QUOTE Keir Starmer signaled Ukraine can strike military targets inside Russia with Britain’s Storm Shadow missiles, confirming he would continue the previous UK government’s policy on the use of its long-range weapons in the Russia-Ukraine war.
. Starmer Says Ukraine Can Use UK Missiles to Strike Inside Russia
There is no prospect for peace talks at present. Putin's demands are not serious, to surrender Kharkiv city without a fight. Please don’t be scared by Putin’s many bluffs. He has done nothing and will do nothing. The last thing Putin wants in reality is to attack NATO. He knows he would lose any such war quickly. See: How to see Putin will NEVER attack NATO - because Russia would lose such a war quickly - and Putin isn't even trying to protect Russia from NATO
And in more detail: BLOG: How to see Putin will NEVER attack NATO - “Because Russia will lose, and lose quickly” - Admiral Radakin - and Putin isn't even trying to protect Russia from NATO
Also: For Russia to attack NATO is like a midget attacking a mammoth with soap bubbles - it can't do it
It may help to look back a bit to what scared people earlier.
PREVIOUS WORRIES ABOUT NATO GIVING UKRAINE AIR DEFENCES - NOW EVERYONE TAKES IT FOR GRANTED, SAME ALSO FOR FIRING SHELLS ACROSS THE BORDER INTO RUSSIA
Back in 2023
many were scared about what Russia would do if NATO gave Ukraine the ability to defend itself from air strikes.
Now, nobody worries about that any more.
Back in early June of 2024
many were scared of what would happen as a result of the US giving Ukraine permission to fire back over the border against tanks and artilelry in Belgorod oblast firing shells into Ukraine.
Now nobody is scared about that either.
SIMILARLY NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT IF US GIVES PERMISSION TO HIT BOMBERS ON THE GROUND IN RUSSIA - THIS IS NORMAL THE UK AND FRANCE GAVE THAT PERMISSION A MONTH AGO
So now the new “red line” is
Will the US give permission to Ukraine to hit bombers and fighter jets on the ground on airfields in Belgorod oblast before they take off to launch cruise missiles, hypersonic missiles and glide bombs at Ukraine?
The US hasn’t yet given Ukraine this permission. But
the UK gave Ukraine permission to use its stormshadow anywhere within range in Russia without restriction in May,
France gave permission to use its Scalp cruise missiles against some specific military systems on the ground including aircraft,
US gave permission to hit targets up to 80 km into Russia.
Also
Ukraine is ALREADY hitting those planes on the ground in Russia itself using its own more primitive long range drones and its own independent satellite imagery.
So - this is to help people who are scared that the US might give Ukraine permission to use ATACMS in the same way as its own drones and the UK Stormshadow and French Scalp cruise missiles.
Nothing will happen. These are legitimate defensive targets and Russia knows that very well.
UKRAINE IS NOT ASKING FOR A TIT-FOR-TAT JUST TO HIT LEGITIMATE DEFENSIVE TARGETS
Russia is committing war crimes by targeting Ukrainian civilian infrastructure and Ukrainian civilians. It’s important to realize:
Ukraine is NOT asking for a tit for tat to commit war crimes back
Ukraine is asking ONLY for permission to hit legitimate defensive targets such as bombers on the ground that take off every day to fire missiles and bombs at Ukraine
UKRAINE HAS THE RIGHT TO SELF DEFENCE UNDER THE UN CHARTER - RUSSIA HAS NO RIGHT TO HIT CIVILIAN OBJECTS WHICH ARE DEFENDED BY GENEVA PROTOCOL 1 WHICH RUSSIA RATIFIED
Ukraine has every right to do this under the UN Charter article 51.
QUOTE “Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations, until the Security Council has taken measures necessary to maintain international peace and security.
Russia has no right to attack Ukraine under any international law. It is especially prohibited to hit civilian targets even if the war was legitimate.
QUOTE STARTS
Article 52 - General protection of civilian objects
1. Civilian objects shall not be the object of attack or of reprisals. Civilian objects are all objects which are not military objectives as defined in paragraph 2.
2. Attacks shall be limited strictly to military objectives. In so far as objects are concerned, military objectives are limited to those objects which by their nature, location, purpose or use make an effective contribution to military action and whose total or partial destruction, capture or neutralization, in the circumstances ruling at the time, offers a definite military advantage.
3. In case of doubt whether an object which is normally dedicated to civilian purposes, such as a place of worship, a house or other dwelling or a school, is being used to make an effective contribution to military action, it shall be presumed not to be so used.
That is under the 1976 protocol I of the Geneva convention which Russia ratified.
UKRAINE IS GETTING 4 MORE PATRIOT AIR DEFENCES - NOWADAYS NOBODY IS SCARED BY THIS - WITH A TOTAL OF 8 IT CAN PROTECT MOST OF ITS POPULATION
You may have heard that Ukraine is getting more air defence systems including 4 more Patriot air defences. This is a summary by Kyiv Independent
QUOTE STARTS
According to the statement issued by the White House, the U.S., Germany, and Romania will "rapidly" provide Ukraine with additional Patriot batteries, while the Netherlands will provide components to operate one other Patriot battery.
Italy will also provide additional SAMP-T air defense system….
In the coming months, Canada, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom will also contribute to the additional provision of "dozens" of tactical air defense systems to Ukraine, including NASAMS, HAWKs, IRIS T-SLM, IRIS T-SLS, and Gepard systems, according to the agreement.
. US, NATO allies to deliver 'dozens' of air defense systems in coming months, including 4 Patriots
The statement itself is here:
This is good news for the Ukrainian civilians as the Patriot air defence will help protect its cities. Ukraine currently has four such systems. Three from Germany and one from the USA.
. Germany's third Patriot air defense system arrived in Ukraine, ambassador says
Adding another four will bring that up to 8 systems. That is not enough to protect the entire country, I can’t find the source now but that requires of the order of 20+ systems. However, it is enough to make a significant difference and protect most of the population.
“We need at least 7 Patriot systems to secure our main urban agglomerations in the near future, and this will be a driver for preserving normal life in Ukraine that our people deserve so much. In other words, it will directly contribute to defense and ensure that the economic life of the country is not destroyed,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
. ukrayina-potrebuye-shonajmenshe-semi-sistem-petriot-shob-zak-91433
BIDEN SAID UKRAINE WILL WIN THE WAR - THE US IS NOT AIMING FOR A STALEMATE
Biden also said in his speech that Ukraine will win the war. This is important because some people claim the US just aim for a stalemate.
Make no mistake, Russia is failing in this war. More than two years into Putin’s war of choice, his losses are staggering: more than 350,000 Russian troops dead or wounded; nearly 1 million Russians, many of them young people, have left Russia because they no longer see a future in Russia.
And Kyiv — remember, fellows and ladies — was supposed to fall in five days. Remember? Well, it’s still standing two and a half years later and will continue to stand. (Applause.)
…
When this senseless war began, Ukraine was a free country. Today, it is still a free country, and the war will end with Ukraine remaining a free and independent country. (Applause.)
Russia will not prevail. Ukraine will prevail. (Applause.)
UKRAINE ALWAYS STOPS AT ITS INTERNATIONAL PRE-2014 BORDERS
It’s important to realize all this is just about restoring Ukraine to its original 2014 borders with Russia.
Ukraine ALWAYS stops at the international border. Two years ago, 16th May 2022, the Ukrainians pushed Russia back away from Karkhiv city and reached the border with Belgorod oblast. They carried a Ukrainian post with them and put it in the ground at the same point as the international border with Russia. Story about it here: ukrainian-troops-defending-kharkiv-reach-state-border-with-russia-governor
Text on graphic: Ukrainian soldiers replacing its former border post with Russia after liberating part of Kharkiv oblast on May 16 2022.
Unlike the counterattacks by Canada in the 1812 war when the USA invaded Canada to “liberate” it from the British, Ukraine ALWAYS stops at the international border between Russia and Ukraine. It never tries to take even 1 meter of Russian territory.
Back then Ukraine had an opportunity if it so wished to try to push a bit further into Russia and take even a few 10s of meters of Russian territory and it didn't do that.
For details including the comparison with the invasion of Canada by the USA in 1812, see: Ukraine IS permitted to fire back in self defence when its border is the front line with Russia - and it does NOT make its suppliers combatants - Ukraine’s fundamental right for self defence under the UN Charter .
AN EXCEPTIONALLY CLEAR CASE OF AN ILLEGAL WAR AND EVEN THE PRO-RUSSIA BOYKO WHO GOT 11% OF THE VOTE IN 2019 IMMEDIATELY CONDEMNED RUSSIA’S ILLEGAL INVASION AND HIS PARTY JOINED THE UKRAINIAN DEFENCE AGAINST IT
It’s important also to realize
this is an exceptionally clear case of an illegal war, Russia had no legitimate reason to invade Ukraine and it broke the Minsk accords, Budapest memorandum and the UN charter and it did this in the middle of attempts at peace talks with a meeting scheduled between the foreign ministers of Russia and US on the day of the invasion
Many would say the Iraq war was also illegal. But the Ukraine war is an exceptionally clear case. At the time of the invasion, Macron was doing his shuttle diplomacy and Russia and the US had arranged a meeting of their two foreign ministers on the very day of the invasion to arrange another meeting between Biden and Putin, which of course was cancelled when Russia invaded Ukraine.
Russia broke
The UN charter
The Minsk accord
The Budapest memorandum
And even the very pro Russia candidate Boyko who got 11% of the vote in the first round of the elections condemns Russia's invasion and advocates for EU membership.
After the invasion, Boyko renamed his party as "Opposition Platform - For Life" and says that his members joined the territorial defence against Russia en-masse and said "We are doing everything to help our citizens in this terrible time."
QUOTE STARTS Yuriy Boyko, co-chair of the Opposition Platform - For Life faction, said that the Opposition Platform for Life condemns Russia's aggression against Ukraine and will do everything necessary to help Ukrainian citizens.
"The main task of the HLE Strategic Council is to organize humanitarian assistance to the population in the regions located in the war zone, help refugees and protect Ukraine," he wrote on Facebook. Boyko also stressed that "we condemn the aggression of the Russian army against our country."
"Members of the OP-HL join the territorial defense en masse in order to protect critical infrastructure facilities, civilian housing and fight looters. We help people affected by this aggression, participate in the construction of peaceful corridors, and also provide humanitarian assistance. We are doing everything to help our citizens in this terrible time. We will defend Ukraine!" he said. [Google translate of:] Бойко: мы осуждаем агрессию российской армии против нашей страны
You could hardly have a clearer example of an illegal war.
NATO did not support Ukraine before the war with any military equipment. All it sent was Javelin anti-tank missiles of no use in Donbas because Russian separatists at the time didn’t have tanks. It also sent Stinger anti-aircraft missiles at the last minute just before the invasion, of no use against the separatists as they didn’t have jets or helicopters either. They were clearly defensive.
UK, and US see themselves as bound by the Budapest memorandum to help Ukraine
.
TEXT ON GRAPHIC: Budapest memorandum 1994 Ukraine gave all its nukes back to Russia. In return Russia, UK and USA all agreed not to attack or threaten Ukraine and gave security assurances if it is attacked (but not a mutual defence pact like NATO) Clockwise from top left, flags of Russia, UK, Ukraine and USA.
[the security assurances were only for a situation where nuclear weapons or a threat of nuclear weapons is used Text of the Budapest agreement]
So UK and US are committed to help Ukraine fight against Russia under a memorandum that Russia itself signed after the breakup of the Soviet Union.
I go into more details here:
EVEN ILLEGAL WARS OFTEN END IN COMPROMISE SOLUTIONS - UKRAINE MIGHT SETTLE FOR A LESSER OBJECTIVE IN A GENUINE PEACE TREATY IF THE MAJORITY OF THE UKRAINIAN POPULATION AGREE IN A REFERENDUM BUT RUSSIA IS NOT YET OFFERING GENUINE PEACE TREATY NEGOTIATIONS
Of course even an illegal war often ends with a compromise solution. It is possible Ukraine would settle for some lesser objective, for instance to let Russia have some of Donbas and some or all of Crimea in return for ending the war quickly, and reducing the civilian and military casualties. They would also need security for grain exports from Ukraine.
That would depend on the Ukrainian people. Zelensky has said that any peace treaty would need to be approved in a referendum of the Ukrainian people.
But Russia is not offering any sensible peace treaty. Instead it is demanding Ukraine gives up Kharkiv city the second largest in Ukraine, and Zaporizhzhia city which it has no chance of capturing in war, and to surrender also Kherson city which Ukraine liberated in fall 2022. Russia has no chance of recapturing that either. These are clearly NOT sincere peace proposals.
It’s also important to realize that Ukraine has liberated large areas already.
Kherson oblast is famous for its watermelons has just taken in their second harvest of watermelons since the liberation of Kherson city.
TWEET STARTS
Ukrainians are harvesting juicy watermelons in the free but not yet peaceful Kherson 🇺🇦
Two years ago, this seemed almost impossible, and now for the second year in a row, people have been able to enjoy them. Everything will be Ukraine. All it takes is time, constant support and faith 🙏🏻 Victoria (@victoriaslog) on X
UKRAINE IS NOT ASKING PERMISSION TO COMMIT WAR CRIMES AGAINST RUSSIA JUST LEGITIMATE DEFENSIVE TARGETS
Also it’s important to realize that Ukraine is NOT asking for tit-for-tat permission to hit Russian civilians.
It is a war crime to target civilian infrastructure which Russia has as a stated aim. Russia has also been accused of deliberately targeting hospitals throughout the war. That is hard to prove, that it is intentional.
In its most recent attack, Russia used a KH-101 cruise missile to hit a children’s hospital in Kyiv. This uses imagery to guide it to its intended target as it approaches it. This makes it far more likely to be intentional, actually programmed with images of the hospital as its target.
This is not yet proven. It is definitely a KH-101 and there are investigators on the scene collecting evidence to see if it was an intentional target so that’s the part that remains unproven.
Russian disinformation claims it was hit by a Ukrainian missile but a reverse image search finds that the images they share are from other attacks up to 2 years ago.
There is clear evidence of a KH-101 including video of the cruise missile hitting the building. These cruise missiles fly slowly enough to be identifiable in ordinary commercial video of them. Also the debris if of a KH-101
. Fact check: Ukraine did not bomb a hospital in Kyiv – DW – 07/09/2024
As a cruise missile it would have followed a programmed route so the attack seems to be deliberate.
QUOTE STARTS
Fragments of the Kh-101 missile were also uncovered by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on the site, and a law enforcement source told the Kyiv Independent that the projectile hit its target in accordance with a programmed route.
All this evidence points to the conclusion that the attack was deliberate and that even Kyiv's powerful air defense, which includes a Patriot system, did not intercept the missile.
. How Russia broke through Ukraine’s air defense to strike Kyiv children's hospital
Like some of the NATO cruise missiles it uses visual identification as it gets closer to the target to make sure it hits the right target.
QUOTE STARTS
On top of all this is the Otblesk-U. This is a digital scene-matching area correlation (DSMAC) system, which uses an internal database of relevant terrain imagery to check against to help guide the weapon to its targets. A DSMAC capability is also a feature on certain versions of the U.S. Tomahawk.
However, “its serious limitation is the requirement for certain recognition of the target and pre-existence of target pictures,” he added. “Gathering and processing the data for the missile’s use requires the proper infrastructure and qualified personnel.”
“Therefore, the Otblesk is used only by the non-nuclear Kh-101 missile, and only during the terminal guidance phase, close to the target,” Butowski continued. “During the cruise, the less accurate, but less demanding TERCOM radar system is used.”
. Intriguing Features Seen On Largely Intact Russia Cruise Missile Wreck
It is hard to defend against because it flies below the radar detection of Patriot and can fly as close as 30 meters above the ground, similarly to Western cruise missiles. This cruise missile is air launched from bombers.
QUOTE STARTS
The Kh-101 that struck Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital in Kiev, on July 8th is a long-range, air-launched cruise missile developed by Russia’s Raduga Design Bureau for The Russian Ministry of Defense. The missile operates in a manner similar to U.S. and western AF advanced cruise missiles, flying at subsonic cruising speeds of 700 to 900 kilometers per hour and an altitude of 30 to 70 meters above ground level. It has a range of approximately 2,500 to 2,800 kilometers and can carry a warhead weighing up to 450 kilograms.
The Kh-101 utilizes inertial navigation augmented by GLONASS satellite navigation to identify flight path and targets, resulting in an accuracy of 5 to 20 meters. It is an air launched cruise missile delivered Tupolev Tu-160 “Blackjack” or Tupolev Tu-95MS “Bear” bombers, meaning it can be launched from well within the sanctuary of Russian airspace.
…
The Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilians and the Ukrainian power grid are war crimes. Independent investigators from the ICC are on the scene in Kyiv collecting evidence of a possible war crime.
QUOTE STARTS
Investigators with the International Criminal Court in The Hague visited the hospital Tuesday to collect evidence for possible war crimes charges, the court said. Hospitals, along with other civilian sites, are protected under international humanitarian law.
. Ukraine mourns as rescuers search the rubble of a Kyiv children's hospital struck by a missile
UKRAINE WANTS TO BE ABLE TO HIT THE BOMBERS THAT FIRE THESE CRUISE MISSILES AND GLIDE BOMBS AND HYPERSONIC MISSILES WHEN THEY ARE ON THE GROUND ON THEIR AIR BASES IN RUSSIA
Ukraine wants to be able to hit targets deep within Russia to protect against these missiles. It can either
hit the bombers on the ground, or
destroy them in flight, or
shoot down the Kh-101 with patriot air defences or
it can also be shot down with very low cost machine gun rounds by soldiers with quick reactions alerted to the flight.
All this is far easier if the missiles have to be fired from far from the front lines, giving much more time to track them as they approach Ukraine.
Given enough warning, they can be shot down even with machine guns, because they fly low enough to be within reach of a machine gun.
QUOTE STARTS
Dr. Mom recalled how, on the morning of June 12, his unit intercepted a Russian missile flying toward Kyiv. "After receiving the command standby, I immediately went to the position with my colleagues," he said. "We were informed over the radio that our target was close. A few seconds later, we saw an enemy missile flying towards Vasylkiv. Without hesitation, I took my machine gun and opened fire on the target. I was thinking only one thing – I have to hit it! When I fired a round from my machine gun, I saw that the missile began to deviate from its course and descend."
. ukrainian-soldier-shoots-down-cruise-missile-with-machine-gun-during-russian-attack-50428876
QUOTE There are several options to defend against this threat. Optimally, Ukraine would destroy the missiles on the ground in Russia, either in their storage facilities or by taking out the bombers themselves before takeoff. Once bombers are airborne with this payload, the next best option is to destroy them in flight. Finally, once the bombers have launched the missiles the only options are active defense (shooting down the Kh-101 with Patriot interceptors or three dollar 50Cal. rounds) and passive defense (shelter vulnerable personnel and assets, electronically attack guidance systems to decoy the missiles).
UKRAINE IS NOT ASKING FOR PERMISSION TO ATTACK CIVILIANS - THE BIG BOMBS THAT KILL CIVILIANS IN BELGOROD FROM TIME TO TIME ARE CONFIRMED AS ONE TON GLIDE BOMBS DROPPED ACCIDENTALLY BY RUSSIAN BOMBERS - UKRAINE DOES NOT HAVE ANYTHING WITH THAT CAPABILITY
Ukraine is NOT asking for permission to conduct war crimes and its allies would never give it such permissions.
Ukraine is asking for permission to destroy the bombers on the ground before they take off to fire these missiles at Ukraine, both the glide bombs which have much shorter range and the Kh-101 and the hypersonic missiles.
The New York Times wrote a very misleading story that many believe. Its preview photograph was of an apartment block in Belgorod destroyed by what was obviously a very big bomb, like the one ton Russian glide bombs. Ukraine doesn’t have bombs that large that it could fire at Belgorod, even the ATACMS couldn’t do this.
The Russians all through the war for some reason have often accidentally dropped bombs in Russian territory from their bombers on bombing raids in Ukraine. This is very well documented.
They often land harmlessly in fields but sometimes they fall in cities. The bomb for the NY Times story hit the apartment from the Russian side. It was far too big a bomb for a Ukrainian drone attack. And the experts are pretty certain it was a glide bomb that a bomber must have dropped by mistake flying over Belgorod on the way to drop it on Ukraine.
.
Text on graphic: This photograph featured by the New York Times is VERY MISLEADING and RUSSIAN PROPAGANDA.
This shows the aftermath of a Russian glide bomb that one of its bombers accidentally dropped on a Russian apartment block in Belgorod.
Ukraine does NOT target Russian civilians - it wants permission to hit legitimate defensive targets in Russia. Such as the artillery firing shells at Vovschank from just over the border 5 kilometers away .
Tweet shown in screenshot: Jimmy Rushton (@JimmySecUK) on X
Open source analysis: Oliver Alexander (@OAlexanderDK) on X
The UK Ministry of Defence on 11th May said there were 20 such “friendly fire” bomb dropping incidents in Belgorod oblast alone in March through to mid Ma
y
It has been reported that a Russian fighter aircraft accidentally released a FAB-500 munition on a civilian area in Belgorod, Russia on 04 May 2024. The Belgorod Regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov confirmed the explosion and damage on Razdobarkina street, Belgorod without identifying the cause. 30 houses and 10 cars were damaged, with five individuals requiring hospital care, illustrating the destructive power of the munition.
This is not an isolated incident. On 18 February a FAB-250 was reportedly released on Soloti in the Belgorod area which led to the evacuation of 150 residents.
Media outlets suggest that such discharges are fairly common with 20 lost munitions accidentally dropped in the Belgorod region alone between March to April 2024. These instances indicate Russia's continued inability to successfully employ their munitions on intended targets. Such errors have destructive and lethal consequences for the Russian population.
I have not been able to find any detailed explanation but Russia has been dropping its bombs accidentally over Belgorod oblast in large numbers throughout the war. Perhaps a mechanical issue or their pilots mistaking their targets or pressing the wrong button? Whatever the reason it is very common.
WHY IS UKRAINE ASKING PERMISSION TO USE ATACMS TO HIT TARGETS DEEP WITHIN RUSSIA? TO STOP THE BOMBERS AND TO FORCE THEM FURTHER AWAY FROM UKRAINE
So why is Ukraine asking for permission to use the ATACMS to hit targets deep within Russia?
First, remember many NATO countries ALREADY gave Ukraine this permission.Ukraine has had this permission from the UK since the end of May. It also has had permission from the US since 1st June to hit defensive targets up to 80 km into Russia.
Russia does nothing and can't do anything about it.
This is purely defensive. It's important to realize that Ukraine is NOT asking permission for a tit for tat. Ukraine does NOT want permission to hit civilians in Russia. Only military
targets and keeping the risk to civilians to a minimum.
Many military experts and politicians are reminding us that Ukraine has a legitimate right to defend itself under the UN Charter including:
Jens Stoltenberg, the head of NATO
Mike Johnson, speaker of the house
Boris Johnson, ex UK prime minister
David Cameron another ex UK prime minister and former UK foreign minister.
and many other military experts are all saying it is safe, not escalatory and the only sensible thing for the USA to do.
Republican AND Democrat members of Congress are asking for Biden to lift this restriction saying they didn't put any restriction on the use of the weapons in the Ukraine bill.
UKRAINE IS ALREADY ATTACKING THESE AIRCRAFT IDENTIFIED WITH ITS OWN SATELLITE PHOTOS AND ATTACKING THEM WITH ITS OWN DRONES
Also Ukraine is ALREADY attacking these aircraft with its own drones. Ukraine can see these fighter jets and bombers on the ground with satellite images. It used to rely on allied images in the first six months. But now it has its own crowd funded satellite bought for Ukraine by Ukrainian citizens. They bought a satellite already in orbit
QUOTE STARTS
A satellite purchased via a Ukrainian crowdfunding campaign took 4,173 images of Russia's targets in almost two years, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) said on June 26.
About 38% of all data received was used to prepare for attacks that caused "billions of dollars" in losses to Russia, according to HUR.
Due to the ICEYE satellite, Ukraine obtained satellite images of 370 Russian airfields, 238 air defense and radio reconnaissance positions, 153 oil depots and fuel storage facilities, 147 missile, aircraft weapons and ammunition depots, and 17 naval bases.
…
The contract with ICEYE stated that the company would transfer the capabilities of one of its satellites already in orbit to the Ukrainian government.
Until the purchase of the ICEYE satellite, Ukraine did not have its own satellite in orbit and therefore relied on satellite imagery from its allies for the first six months of the full-scale Russian invasion.
For instance this is Yeysk airport within 150 km of the Ukrainian front line. Ukraine destroyed two of these planes with its own home produced UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles)
.
During the night of April 4-5, Ukrainian UAVs carried out an attack on russian airfields.
It is worth noting that Engels Airport is located 700 km away from the borders of Ukraine, Morozovsk Airport is situated 300 km from the borders, and Yeysk Airport, located 150 km away from the borders of Ukraine
As a result of the attack, a total of 19 aircraft were damaged, including 3 Tu-95MS strategic bombers. It is these aircraft that launch the Kh-101 and Kh-555 cruise missiles towards Ukraine. In Yeysk, 2 Su-25 aircraft were damaged.
These are legitimate defensive targets because they are flying every day to attack Ukraine.
UKRAINE CAN HIT TARGETS DEEP WITHIN RUSSIA WITH LOW TECH DRONES BECAUSE THE RUSSIAN AIR DEFENCES ARE VERY WEAK
Ukraine can do this because the Russian air defences are now very weak, as they have deployed a lot of them into Ukraine and lost them. So Ukraine can attack Russia now with primitive drones.
It doesn’t need an equivalent of the KH-101. It is even able to hit targets at a distance of over a thousand kilometres using modified civilian microlights as long range attack drones. Ukraine appears to deploy modified A-22 ultralights as suicide UAV
TEXT ON GRAPHIC: Russia's air defences are so degraded that Ukraine is able to fly microlights through them without getting shot down.
Replace pilot and passenger by explosives and remote control, and you have a drone that can evade the Russian air defences and bomb a Russian oil refinery 1000s of kilometres from Ukaraine.
Yet Russia claims FALSELY it can "escalate" and win a war against not just Ukraine but NATO as well. Just bluffs and bulls**t.
Graphic shows the A-22 microlight - a small Ukrainian civilian microlight plane with just enough payload for the pilot plus one passenger. Aeroprakt A-22 Foxbat . Replace pilot and passenger by explosives and remote control and you have a drone that can evade the Russian air defences and head off and bomb a refinery deep in Russia.
Using its UAVs of various levels of sophistication it was able to destroy two Su-25 fighter jets on the ground at Yeltsk. But in their satellite images they could see 30 aircraft
At the military airfield in Yeysk on the eve of the UAV attack, there were approximately 30 aircraft: ten L-39 combat training aircraft, five An-26 transport aircraft, one each of An-74 and An-12, four Su-27 fighters, four Su-25s, one Su-30, as well as Ka-27 helicopters, one Mi-8, and two Tu-134UBL training aircraft.
ATACMS ARE ESPECIALLY EFFECTIVE AGAINST AIRCRAFT - UKRAINE USED THEM TO DESTROY AT LEAST 17 HELICOPTERS IN FALL 2023
Though Ukraine can get through the air defences even with its own drones, the ATACMS are especially effective against aircraft on the ground - they fragment and they can destroy several planes with each strike. When Ukraine first got a few of them in fall 2023 they destroyed at least 17 attack helicopters in one go sitting on airfields in occupied Ukraine.
QUOTE STARTS
The M39 version of ATACMS is equipped with a 560-kilogram cluster-munition warhead of 950 M74 bomblets. These are effective against soft targets such as thin-skinned vehicles, fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft and concentrations of soldiers. The missile has a maximum range of 165 kilometres. Other variants of ATACMS have maximum ranges up to 300 km.
Ukraine claims to have destroyed nine helicopters in the 17 October attack, plus a surface-to-air missile launcher, multiple vehicles and an ammunition storage site and to have damaged an airstrip. Satellite imagery of the sites taken on 18 October suggests at least 17 helicopters, including multiple Kamov Ka-52 Hokum attack helicopters, were likely damaged or destroyed. Given the apparent dispersal area of submunitions, additional helicopters and other equipment may possibly have been damaged, though this is not discernable from the imagery.
. Ukraine targets Russian airfields with US-supplied ATACMS missile
Russia had a respite after that because the Ukraine bill was held up but now Ukraine has ATACMS Again.
UKRAINE COULD DESTROY DOZENS OF AIRCRAFT IN ONE GO WITH ATACMS - OR FORCE RUSSIA TO DEPLOY THEM HALF AN HOUR OF FLYING TIME FROM THE UKRAINIAN FRONT LINE INSTEAD OF 2 MINUTES OF FLYING TIME
Now Russia has to station its attack helicopters out of reach but they are safe from ATACMS just over the border in Russia.
If the US gave Ukraine that permission and did it secretly instead of announcing it first, it could destroy many aircraft quickly. It would only be a fraction of the Russian air force - but it would also push their planes back to over 300 km from the front line which would mean they are several minutes of flight away from the front line making it easier for Patriot air defences to shoot them down when they fly to attack Ukraine.
If they announce it first then Russia can move their planes back in time, but it would still push them further away from the front line.
The speed of sound is 1234.8 km per hour. HiMARS can hit targets up to 80 km way - that's less than 2 minutes travel away at mach 2. (2*60*80/1234.8). ATACMS can hit them 300 km away, or 29 minutes travel away at mach 2 (2*60*300/1234.8). So Ukraine could force a mach 2 fighter jet to be so far away it takes it around half an hour to reach the front line making it far easier for Ukraine to spot them in advance and shoot them down. They could also hit radar systems in Belgorod.
Ukraine is regularly destroying similar targets in occupied Ukraine with ATACMS, with the same missions, to attack Ukraine with glide bombs and hypersonic missiles. It is a very artificial distinction to say that Ukraine can use ATACMS against them only if they fly from inside Ukraine.
THERE IS NO MILITARY SENSE IN THIS RESTRICTION TO HIT TARGETS ONLY WITHIN 80 KM OF THE UKRAINIAN FRONT LINE
The US restriction makes no military sense. Going back to the start of the war before Russia invaded Ukraine, would it make sense to tell Ukraine it can only hit Russian bombers and fighter jets on the ground once Russia has occupied enough of Ukraine to fly them from bases within Ukraine? No it wouldn't and this isn't in any international treaty or any Geneva convention about what is permitted in warfare. It is just a made-up rule that Putin uses to try to force NATO to handcuff the Ukrainians so he can fight them more easily.
As former head of NATO Jens Stoltenberg put it
:
.Text on graphic: Self-defense is enshrined in the UN charter. It's legal it's legitimate and we are helping Ukraine with upholding that right and that should include the ability to also strike targets on Russian territory when they are military legitimate targets we're talking about.
See my:
BLOG (copy on Substack): Ukraine IS permitted to fire back in self defence when its border is the front line with Russia - and it does NOT make its suppliers combatants
So hopefully that helps you be less scared, if some time in the future Ukraine is given permission to use ATACMS in Russia.
THIS IS JUST TO HELP SCARED PEOPLE, NOT ADVOCATING ANY MILITARY POLICY FOR ANYONE
I write this to help scared people. Please note I am NOT in any way advocating anything here or giving any military advice. This is not intended as political.
This is just to help scared people see that if the US gives Ukraine permission to hit targets in Russia with ATACMS that there is nothing to be scared of.
This may help you if scared by the war:
BLOG: The true heroes and true brave and kind hearts in the world? - not Netanyahu or Putin - taking the side of Peace - if you get caught up in anger with them it can help to turn those values upside down
RUSSIA WILL DO NOTHING - NOT BACKED INTO A CORNER AND LEGITIMATE TARGETS
Continues here:
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