Ukraine Uses U.S. Weapons To Strike Inside Russia For First Time After Biden Gives Permission

After President Joe Biden‘s administration secretly permitted Ukraine to strike inside Russia, near the area of Kharkiv, using U.S.-provided weapons, Ukraine has used the weapons for the first time to devastating effect inside Russian territory. 

Videos shared on social media showed the aftermath of a HIMARS strike that created a massive fireball in Belgorod, Russia.

In the past few days, the U.S. has decided to grant Ukraine “flexibility” to defend itself from attacks on the border near Kharkiv, another official said. Ukraine can now use America-provided weapons, like rockers and rocket launchers, to shoot down Russian missiles heading toward Kharkiv, at troops massing over the Russian border near the city or Russian bombers launching bombs toward Ukraine.

Ukraine cannot use the weapons to hit civilian infrastructure or launch long-range missiles, such as the Army Tactical Missile System, to hit military targets deep inside Russia.

The administration initially said the move would escalate the war by involving the U.S. in the fight. However, as conditions worsened in Ukraine, Biden changed his mind.

Some officials are concerned that when Ukraine attacks Russia using its drones, it will hit military targets unrelated to Russia’s invasion. However, the U.S. has strongly delivered the message that Kyiv must use American weapons to directly hit Russian military sites used for its invasion of Ukraine, but not civilian infrastructure.