Russia has reportedly transferred 90% of its military aircraft to bases outside the reach of long-range ATACMS, a United States official told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) in remarks published Aug. 27.
The U.S.-made Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) have a range of approximately 165-300 kilometers. The U.S. first supplied long-range ATACMS to Ukraine in March of 2024.
Russia has responded to Ukraine's acquisition of ATACMS by moving most of its aircraft beyond the missiles' range, the unnamed official told the WSJ, citing a new U.S. intelligence report.
With 90% of the planes out of reach, striking deep inside Russia with ATACMS makes little strategic sense, the official claimed.
U.S. policy currently prohibits Ukraine from using American-supplied weapons to attack targets deep within Russian territory. Kyiv has lobbied Washington to lift these restrictions and allow Ukrainian forces to strike airbases and other military targets beyond the border zone.
The U.S. official also told the WSJ that Ukrainian forces may have better success striking Russian airbases using its own long-range drones.
Ukraine has been scaling up domestic defense production in order to strike key targets in Russia without regard to Western restrictions. The Palianytsia, a newly developed homegrown missile-drone, was designed to strike Russian airfields.
As Kyiv looks for ways to destabilize Russia's military assets, Russian forces over the past two days hit Ukraine with mass attacks. Russia on Aug. 26 launched over 200 missiles and drones as part of its largest-ever aerial attack throughout the full-scale war.
Kateryna Denisova
