Before the United States allowed the Ukrainian Armed Forces to use Western weapons to counterstrike Russian attacks, more than 90,000 Russian troops were preparing for a new offensive on the border.

As reported by the Associated Press, since the end of May, Ukraine has been able to attack Russian troops and air defense systems 20 kilometers from the border in the Kharkiv Oblast. Ukrainian brigades reported that the HIMARS missile systems were launched just hours after authorization was granted.

Through this authorization, Ukraine has managed to to destroy large formations of Russian forces, which were preparing for another offensive into Ukraine.

“At the time, the stakes were high as Ukrainian military leaders expected a new attack designed to draw troops away from other fierce battlefields in the Donetsk region,” First Deputy Defense Minister Ivan Havrylyuk told the Associated Press.

Previously, the Ukrainian Armed Forces could only repel incoming infantry attacks; now they can use more artillery against Russian firing points.

One of the fighters with the call sign “Hephaestus” told the publication about the first hours when permission to use missile systems was granted.

“Before, we couldn’t target them. It was quite complicated. All warehouses with ammunition and other resources were located a 20-kilometer distance beyond what we could hit,” he said.

However, the authorization from the US and several European countries ensured that the dynamics changed almost immediately, allowing Ukrainian forces to stabilize this part of the front line.

“The HIMARS were not silent for the whole day,” Hephaestus said, recalling the first hours when permission was granted to use the rocket systems. “From the first days, Ukrainian forces managed to destroy whole columns of troops along the border waiting for the order to enter Ukraine.”

This authorization ensured that the dynamics changed almost immediately, allowing Ukrainian forces to stabilize this part of the front line. Previously, the Ukrainian Armed Forces could only repel incoming infantry attacks; now they can use more artillery against Russian firing points.

“We could attack the command posts of the (Russian) brigade and the entire northern grouping, because they are located 100-150 kilometers from the front line,” Hephaestus said. “Conventional ammunition will not reach them. With it, we can do a lot to destroy their command centers.”

Some restrictions remain

The recent permission to use Western weapons to strike targets outside Ukraine to defend Kharkiv and other cities has strengthened the country’s defense against Russian attacks, said the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the G7 Summit in Italy, as per the Presidential Office.

However, Ukraine’s Armed Forces clamor for the remaining restrictions on using Western weapons to be lifted as well. For example, the Biden administration has not lifted restrictions on Ukraine that prohibit the use of US-provided ATACMS to strike inside Russian territory. This prevents attacks on airfields and military infrastructure in Russia’s deep rear, underscoring a common Ukrainian complaint that Western allies anxious about potentially provoking Russia are undermining Ukraine’s ability to fight effectively.

Ukrainian officials are pushing the US to be able to strike particular high-value targets inside Russia using ATACMS, which can reach over 100 kilometers (62 miles).

“Unfortunately, we still cannot reach, for example, airfields and their aircraft. This is the problem,” Yehor Cherniev, deputy chairman of the parliamentary committee on national security, defense and intelligence, said earlier this month. “That’s why we are asking (allies) to lift the restrictions to use long-range missiles against limited military targets in the territory of Russia.”

Read more:

• Frontline report: Ukraine thwarts Russian covert pipe operation, regains positions in Chasiv Yar
• Western permission for strikes inside Russia stops S-300 attacks on Kharkiv for days
• Ukraine struck Russia with HIMARS just hours after the ban was lifted
• Most allies now support Ukraine striking targets in Russia; Italy and Belgium oppose, Germany, US undecided
• Politico: US quietly allowed Ukraine to strike inside Russia, but solely near Kharkiv
• Germany permits Ukraine to hit Russian territory with German weapons
• Blinken hints US may accept Ukrainian strikes in Russia with American arms