KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The German government says Ukraine can use the weapons it delivers against attacks from positions just across the Russian border.
The government said in a statement Friday that, together with its closest allies and in consultation with Ukraine, it is continually adapting its support as the war evolves.
It noted that in recent weeks, Russia has prepared, coordinated and carried out attacks in the Kharkiv region, in particular from areas just beyond the border with Russia.
“Together we are convinced that Ukraine has the right, under international law, to defend itself against these attacks,” the statement said.
“To this end, it can also use weapons delivered for this purpose in accordance with its international legal commitments, including those delivered by us,” he added.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. The previous AP story follows below.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian ballistic missiles hit an apartment block in Kharkiv and killed at least four people in an overnight attack, Ukrainian officials said Friday, a day after U.S. President Joe Biden gave the green light to Kyiv counterattack with American weapons against Russian military assets targeting the country’s second largest city.
Russia launched five S-300/S-400 ballistic missiles at Kharkiv overnight, the Ukrainian Air Force said. One hit a residential building around midnight and was followed by another missile 25 minutes after it struck rescuers, according to regional governor Oleh Syniehubov. At least 25 people were injured, he said.
Ukrainian authorities have previously accused Russia of targeting rescue workers by hitting residential buildings with two consecutive missiles – the first to draw emergency workers to the scene and the second to injure or kill them. The tactic is called “double tap” in military jargon. Russia used the same method in the Syrian civil war.
A Russian attack this month in the northeast region of Kharkiv, including a Russian attack aerial bomb attack at a large building materials store that killed 18 people on May 25, forced the evacuation of thousands of people and overwhelmed Ukraine’s depleted forces in what is proving to be a critical period in the war, which is now in its third year .
In addition to Kharkiv, Moscow’s troops are pressing on the Donetsk region further south and are assembling a force for an expected attack on the Sumy region further north, according to Ukrainian officials.
The Kremlin’s largest and best-equipped army is exploiting shortages of troops and ammunition in Ukraine following a long delay in US military aid. Western Europe’s inadequate military production delayed the crucial provision of military aid to Ukraine.
Biden’s decision allows US-supplied weapons to be used for “counterfire purposes in the Kharkiv region so that Ukraine can strike back against Russian forces that are attacking them or preparing to attack them,” an official said. from Washington to the Associated Press.
But the officials, who requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive issue, stressed that US policy calling on Ukraine not to use ATACMS or US-supplied long-range missiles and other munitions to strike offensively inside Russia has not changed.
This restriction has frustrated Ukrainian authorities, as the military is unable to order attacks on Russian troops massed across the border – the city of Kharkiv is just 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Russia – or on Russian bases used to launch attacks. with missiles.
The question of whether or not to allow Ukraine to strike targets on Russian soil with Western-supplied weaponry It has been a sensitive issue since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022.
Western leaders have hesitated to take this step because it is the risk of causing Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has repeatedly warned that direct Western involvement could put the world on the path to nuclear conflict.
But as Russia recently gained the battlefield initiative in some parts of the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line, some Western leaders are pushing for a policy change that allows Kiev to attack military bases inside Russia with sophisticated means long range weapons provided by their Western partners.
___
