Ukraine has used US weapons to strike inside Russia in recent days, said a US senator and a Western official familiar with the matter, according to the Associated Press.
The weapons were used after the White House allowed Kyiv to strike inside Russia with HIMARS to defend Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city. However, US policy still restricts Ukraine from using American-provided ATACMS or long-range missiles.
Republican Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota confirmed the strikes with US weapons but did not say how he was briefed.
On 10 May, Russia launched a new offensive on Kharkiv Oblast, capturing Ukrainian villages and executing civilians. According to the military plans, Russians planned to encircle Kharkiv and repeatedly attack it with artillery, guided bombs, and ballistic and cruise missiles.
Russian forces have exploited a lengthy delay in the replenishment of US military aid when entering Ukrainian territory.
Earlier, the Institute for the Study of War said that Ukrainian forces struck a Russian S-300/400 air defense battery in the Belgorod region, likely with HIMARS, on 1 June or 2 June.
The air defense system was located roughly 60 kilometers (about 40 miles) from the current front line in the northern Kharkiv region and more than 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the city of Kharkiv, which lies within the range of the weapon.
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