Pentagon: Ukraine May Use US ATACMS missiles to hit Russian forces in Crimea

Pentagon officials have confirmed that Ukraine may use the long-range ATACMS missiles provided by the United States to target Russian military assets in Crimea, The New York Times reported on April 25.

Crimea has been a strategic stronghold for Russian air and ground forces, which until now have enjoyed relative safety from Ukrainian strikes.

“The goal for the new longer-range systems is to put more pressure on Crimea, a hub of Russian air and ground forces, ‘where, right now, Russia has had relatively safe haven’,” a senior defense official said.

Earlier ,The Kremlin said Thursday that Ukraine’s access to long-range weapons, including ATACMS provided by the United States, would not fundamentally change the outcome of the conflict, now in its third year.

That comments came hours after the State Department said the United States had secretly sent ATACMS missiles to Ukraine for use inside its own territory, and that the weapons had arrived this month.

“The United States is directly involved in this conflict. It is on the road to increasing the range of the weapons systems it already supplies,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.