The Trump administration has reportedly eased a significant restriction on Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied long-range missiles, as per the Wall Street Journal.
This policy shift was executed without any public announcement. The change is thought to be chalked up to the change in responsibilities, which were transferred from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, the top U.S. general in Europe who also serves as NATO commander.
This alteration in rules regarding striking Russia with these missiles resulted in a British-made Storm Shadow cruise missile hitting a Russian plant in Bryansk that manufactured explosives and rocket fuel.
Ukraine’s General Staff hailed it as a “successful hit” that breached Moscow’s air defenses.
Lately, Russia has been under relentless attack from a new type of Ukrainian missile named the Flamingo. This cruise missile can carry a payload of 1,150kg, making it one of the largest such missiles globally, and boasts a range of 3,000km, nearly double that of the fearsome Tomahawk missiles.
This development occurs as Trump seems hesitant to hand over any of the US missiles.
Fire Point, the Ukrainian weapons manufacturer behind it, claims it can land within 14 meters of its target. Due to a factory error, initial versions of the missile turned out pink, leading to its nickname, the Flamingo, which has since stuck.
They’ve already been deployed in combat, with three of them striking a Russian base, obliterating six hovercraft, and creating craters exceeding 30 feet in diameter.
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They have also been utilized to target Russian oil refineries.
A recent analysis revealed that Russia’s economy might be in more precarious circumstances than President Vladimir Putin claims.
Putin has portrayed a narrative of Russia’s strength despite Western economic sanctions.
Nevertheless, analysts observe, to accomplish this, Russia has been forced to increase defense spending to 40% of its federal budget for weapons factories and boost its dependence on trade with China to modernize its military and sustain its war efforts in Ukraine.
Simultaneously, Russia seeks to expand and strengthen its military to confront NATO, which analysts indicate it can achieve within seven to 10 years.
This will demand training troops for combat, replacing its heavy equipment, and replenishing its weapons stockpile.
Yet, in the interim, Putin has still managed to challenge NATO by launching “cheap” cyber and sabotage attacks, including breaching airspace in Poland and Estonia last month, following U.S. President Donald Trump’s return to office.
While government spending and elevated export prices have enabled Russia to exceed economic projections, it is still confronting fiscal challenges, labor market and defense shortages, and obstacles to obtaining critical technologies and resources due to sanctions, according to a war analysis in Foreign Affairs.