The Pentagon announced Wednesday a new $700 million weapons package for Ukraine that includes advanced rocket systems with a range of up to 50 miles, marking a significant escalation in US military aid to Kyiv.
The US will be shipping Ukraine High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, known as HIMARS. With strike capabilities of up to 50 miles, it means Russian territory could potentially be in range, but US officials insisted in comments to the media that the rockets won’t be used to hit targets inside Russia.
A senior administration official told The New York Times that the US had received “assurances” from Ukrainian leaders that the HIMARS won’t be used against Russian territory. Russian officials have previously warned that providing Ukraine with long-range weapons that can hit Russia would be a step toward “unacceptable escalation.”
Responding to Wednesday’s announcement, the Kremlin said the US was “adding fuel to the fire” by sending the rockets. “The United States pursues the course towards fighting Russia to the last Ukrainian,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
President Biden announced his intention to give Ukraine advanced rockets in an op-ed published by The New York Times on Tuesday. “I’ve decided that we will provide the Ukrainians with more advanced rocket systems and munitions that will enable them to more precisely strike key targets on the battlefield in Ukraine,” he wrote.
Ukraine will receive other weapons as part of the $700 million package. According to the Pentagon, it includes:
- High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems and ammunition
- Five counter-artillery radars
- Two air surveillance radars
- 1,000 Javelins and 50 Command Launch Units
- 6,000 anti-armor weapons
- 15,000 155mm artillery rounds
- Four Mi-17 helicopters
- 15 tactical vehicles
- Spare parts and equipment
The weapons package was pulled from the $40 billion in new Ukraine aid President Biden recently signed into law. The $40 billion includes $11 billion in presidential drawdown authority, which allows Biden to send weapons to Ukraine from the US military’s stockpiles.
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2022/06/ukraine-bits-casualty-numbers-kampfgruppen-territorial-defense-forces.html#more
Ukraine and casualty numbers.
Interesting read, Thomas, thank you for that link.
Not meant to be seen in MSMs
But “body-count” strategic thinking is foolhardy in modern war. It’s likely the explanation for Washington agreeing to escalate at each step to longer-distance standoff weaponry, but this means there’s still a lot of levels to go.
“A senior administration official told The New York Times that the US had received “assurances” from Ukrainian leaders that the HIMARS won’t be used against Russian territory.”
Counting on “assurances from Ukrainian leaders” as to whether or not they will instigate WW3. Doesn’t exactly give one a feeling of comfort. Holy Fu*k!
I was thinking that yesterday. The insanity of it all is unbelievable. They have trust in a militia that has Nazis amongst its ranks as well. What could possibly go wrong 🤔
And not only, -wasn’t it only a week ago Biden announced that the US would not be supplying HIMARS? To understand these people it’s necessary to turn everything on its head. Guaranteed the Russians aren’t fooled.
The Ukraine is wasted, Russia must be looking beyond. This war with the Washington is qualitatively different from Yugoslavia. The Ukraine is Russia. The US is attacking Mother Russia -to “bleed her dry,” a fight to the death. The Kremlin needs a plan compassing this arch-reality. The Ukraine is of little importance except as a wasteland buffer for their Black Sea position.
since the regime change in 2014 Ukraine went down hill, it is now one of the poorest nations in Europe. Neutral, it could have been peaceful and prosperous. Too bad for the Ukrainian people, not their corrupt government including Zelensky.
Ukraine’s per capita GDP took a giant drop in 2014-2015 ($4,030 in 2013, $2,125 in 2015), presumably due to the loss of Donbas’s industrial output after the LPR/DPR secession , then began growing again, to $3,727 (about the same level as 2012) in 2020.
If the Kyiv regime had been willing to just let the LPR/DPR bygones be bygones and move along, the future might have looked pretty bright. But the 2022 numbers are probably going to be worse than the previous crash.
The regime change was a disaster for the people and wars are always disaster for the people, the exception are the war profiteers. It is in American interests to keep the war going, it is soo profitable for the weapons industry. Their stocks keep going up, military equipment, weapons, energy and finance can’t lose. Only the working middle class, most of the population, keeps getting poorer and poorer. Our standards of living keep going down. The increase of SS benefits after years of no increase, is not enough to cover increased Medicare costs while our elected officials blew the SSTF of some $$$ 3 trillion to pay for the wars they started all over the globe. The keep throwing $$ at Zelensky and friends and helping to destroy Ukraine. Kissinger hinted at realpolitik, but Biden has no intentions to get real, he wants regime change in Russia nothing else will do and it is very profitable for his friends and his stock portfolio.
I thought the Prez of ‘Murica said we were not giving Z those rockets. Silly me.
Will HIMAR be the next popular name for Ukrainian babies?
More pork for the MIC. None of that stuff is going to slow the Russian down for a minute. And the four armed drones the other article talks about? Slow – easy prey for Russian air defense. Russia has been shooting down those Turkish drones on a daily basis.
Once again for the retarded: Absolutely nothing the US can send to Ukraine, short of tactical nukes, can change the outcome of this war. Nothing. Russian win, no matter what the US does.
We can only hope you are right. Putin is a statesman, in the whole NATO they have none.
HIMAS is a game changer for Lockheed Martin it will feather their bottom line.
As for Ukraine they will lose these to return fire very quickly.
Zelensky is like a 5 year old looking at a toy catalogue and wanting every military toy he sees.
Biden and Zelensky. Two worthless creatures set up by same lobby.Both not aware of what happens around them.Of course they are not supposed to do so. Only their handlers are in the know
…and a partridge in a pear tree.
There are hints that Ukraine is beginning to understand what Blinken/Biden are up to:
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/wests-irrational-fear-russia-driving-ceasefire-push-ukrainian-negotiator-2022-06-01/?fbclid=IwAR2mw-596C_R3tbnHw_02B3yryTtd_EKGvn51QRsEF4_sBmM-YOW7U-vZSo
The Neocons are determined to start WWIII.
Big wars are good for business, and war is nothing but business for the profiteers.
Fortunately, Kiev military has seen the light and are refusing to fight for NATO and their corrupt leadership.
Larry Johnson identified 9 Kiev combat brigades that are refusing to fight. That’s out of 25 BCTs in Kiev’s order of battle. When close to 40% of your regular army says it’s over, it’s over.
The NATO commanders will try and order the remaining dead Enders to fight to the last round, but we already know that.
https://sonar21.com/ukrainian-military-units-betrayed-by-their-commanders/
Moscow Warns Biden’s Ukraine Missile Backtrack – Risks “Direct Confrontation”
China Warns Biden’s “collusion” between the US and Taipei. – Risks “Direct Confrontation”
Not unlikely at this point the Kremlin is strongly encouraging Beijing to move on Taiwan. There probably will be no better time to confront the Neocon Empire while Moscow is still capable of fighting in the West. The price of all this in blood and treasure and civilization could be very high, but may have to be paid.
According to this guy, who seems pretty credible, the HIMARS are NOT likely to be “game changers.” For one thing, it takes a big crew to use them effectively. You need a leadership team, a targeting team, as well as trained technicians to deal with the mechanics, the electronics, and the computer maintenance and repair. (Not to mention the logistics of repair and maintenance facilities.) And other trained crews to operate them. You need a massive amount of trucks, for fuel and ammo, as well as basic supplies, to keep them operating. Also, like most American weaponry, the HIMARS was developed under the theory that the people using them would have air superiority over their enemies. It is cumbersome and slow to load the weapons. The “footprint” of the entire operation, even for just one battery, is large and hard to hide. Making them ripe targets for Russian aviation. And, of course, the Russians also have, besides air superiority, superiority in missiles, their own rockets and artillery with capability at least equal to the HIMARS, and in greater number, superior GPS-blocking capability, anti missile defenses, drone surveillance and so on. Basically, the US will be sending a few batteries worth of these weapons to untrained troops with untrained leadership, without the numbers and logistical support that Ukraine would need to use them effectively at all, much less the experience and expertise to use them with such skill that they become “game changers.”
Just a short while ago, the Howitzers were going to be the game changers. And the “triple 7s” too. And before that, Mystery MIGs were going to be turned over to the Ukrainians. As well as Harpoon missiles.
Zelensky and the Western media keep coming up with these ever increasing demands for “wonder weapons” that are going to turn the tide. Meanwhile, there are credible, multiple reports (now even creeping into the Western media) that Ukraine can’t keep its frontline troops fed or supplied with even basic necessities, like ammunition. And are woefully outgunned when it comes to artillery, which seems to be the key to the battlefield. And the Western nations are coming to realize that it’s just not going to work. They have started slow walking, when not stone walling, Zelensky’s and the media’s demands.
Key comment, thanks. As always, the key concern of the “Biden” group is making money fr the complex and politics back home. Warmongering needs to become less popular somehow.but, hey, I’m gonna go see Maverick blow some stuff up at the movies and think about this later.
Russia has even more advanced rocket systems that can cover a much longer distance and can even be fired from Russian territory. The Ukrainians are just sitting ducks waiting to be obliterated as soon as one rocket is fired.
Here is what President Biden has got us into. Increasing armaments increase destruction. The longer that war lasts the greater the destruction. With greater destruction the eventual cost of repair and reconstruction will go up. Guess who will pay for much of it. Us.
Ukraine already had superior Soviet rocket systems and the Russians blew them up. What makes anyone think a better fate awaits these?
For Sure…!!!
They really, really need that WW3!