Ukraine ‘fires first US missile into Russia’
Ukraine last night claimed it successfully hit a missile system inside Russia using U.S. weapons.
It said the country’s forces destroyed Russian missile launchers with a strike in the Belgorod region.
Senior politician Yehor Chernev claimed Ukrainian forces used a High Mobility Rocket Artillery System, or HIMARS, The New York Times reported.
It comes just days after the U.S. granted permission for Ukraine to fire American weapons into Russia.
Ukraine last night claimed it successfully hit a missile system inside Russia using U.S. weapons just days after President Joe Biden (pictured) gave permission for the missiles to be used
US and Philippine troops fire a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) during live fire exercises on March 31, 2023
Meanwhile, Joe Biden has ruled out Ukraine joining Nato in a major policy shift. The development comes after the defence alliance’s members, including the US and Britain, released a communique last year declaring ‘Ukraine’s future is in Nato’.
But with a view to ending the two-and-a-half year conflict, the President has stated he is against the ‘Natoisation’ of the country.
While his remarks were met with heavy criticism in Kyiv, analysts believe Mr Biden’s comments could bring a settlement closer.
Russia has repeatedly referred to Ukraine’s possible membership of Nato to justify its invasion and occupation of the country.
It comes as NATO countries are set to collaborate to create a ‘drone wall’ on the security alliance’s eastern flank that aims to provide round-the-clock monitoring of threats across the border from Russia and Belarus.
Six nations sharing a land border with Russia or Belarus – namely Finland, Norway, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia – will pool resources to ensure thousands of military-grade and consumer drones can patrol the skies over their eastern regions.
A soldier from the 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland, flys the Parrot Anafi drone to identify targets during the Live Firing Tactical Training phase of Exercise Vigilant Isles on the 18th of November 2023
The MQ-9 Reaper (Reaper MQ-9A) is a remotely piloted medium-altitude, long endurance (MALE) aircraft designed for Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR), and attack missions
Ministers from all six countries met last week to discuss the joint project, which is still in its nascent stages.
The timeline for its deployment and the exact parameters of the initiative are yet to be finalised, but it is thought each country will maintain control of their own assets and work with allied governments and armed forces on intelligence sharing.
The drones will primarily be used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), but Rinkevics said attack drones may also be included in the fleet for defence purposes.
Poland, the only NATO country spending 4% of its GDP on defence, said the drone initiative will formulate a part of a much broader strategy that will see Warsaw spend billions on upgrading its security capabilities amid claims it is routinely targeted by hostile actions from Russia and Belarus.
These alleged actions include cyberattacks, attempted arson and migrants being pushed illegally across the border, which officials describe as intended to ‘destabilise’ the European Union.
