Moscow announced that it downed for the first time a longer-range rocket that the US has provided to Ukrainian forces.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it downed a Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB), a munition made by Boeing that can hit targets up to 94 miles away, nearly twice the range of the missiles Ukraine’s armed forces have been using with the US-provided HIMARS rocket systems.
“In the past 24 hours, air defense capabilities intercepted 18 rockets of the HIMARS multiple launch rocket system and one GLSDB guided munition,” a Russian Defense Ministry spokesman said Tuesday.
The US said it would provide Ukraine with the GLSDBs as part of a $2.2 billion weapons package that was announced in early February. The provision of the GLSDB marked a significant escalation of US support for Ukraine as Kyiv can use the bombs to hit targets deep inside Russian-controlled territory.
“This gives them a longer-range capability — long-range fires capability that will enable them, again, to conduct operations in defense of their country and to take back their sovereign territory in Russian-occupied areas,” Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said last month when announcing the GLSDBs for Ukraine.
Reports at the time said it could take up to nine months to get the GLSDBs in Ukraine’s hands because a ground-launched version of the bomb wasn’t available. But Boeing had been pushing the Biden administration to provide Kyiv with the GLSDBs since last year and said they could be delivered as early as spring of 2023.
If it looks like a war, walks like war, it must be a war…
It is a war, and it is a war between the Russians and the Americans. The fact that the Ukrainian puppets are there firing US weapons only constitutes a proxy war to idiots, and any person here or elsewhere who thinks you can twist enough words to make it a proxy war is an idiot.
And it’s a proxy war that team US/UK are losing. So semantic is not relevant.
I read in another antiwar article that we have sanctioned the ICC for daring to prosecute our presidents with war crimes. How can we sanction a body that we are not a party to, a party that fits our fancy words, like, “rules based order”?
Dunno. Maybe the geniuses at State can explain? LOL
“The provision of the GLSDB marked a significant escalation of US
support for Ukraine”
Russia has warned about this many times.
And I expect an asymmetrical response, or perhaps even something more direct, in the Ukraine, like massive new cruise missile and drone attacks……
But also, Ukraine has warned that it will defend its freedom and independence many times.
You cannot invade a country to steal their land and expect such country not to exercise its right for self defense. The invaded country will do whatever it takes to protect itself, even if it means, asking for all the outside help it can get.
They will fight even with sticks and stones if necessary (i.e. Afghanistan).
But Don, they can’t defend their freedom and independence without help. And the help has said the help won’t be enough for Ukraine to prevail. The help, as stated, doesn’t want a direct war with Russia.
But if they want to fight as a nation, it is their prerogative (not yours, not mine, not anyone’s) and I don’t see them choosing otherwise because if they do so, in my opinion, they will lose it all later.
Don’t ask me, pick a few Ukrainians off the street and ask them… but don’t pick the Russian/Ukrainian collaborators ones.
I agree it’s their prerogative. But their choices are probably based on getting enough help to prevail and the west isn’t willing to provide that.
The Help, however, seems to have no problem supplying munitions and fanning the flames that prolong the fire, ensuring the need for more munitions
On that we agree.
“Ukraine has warned that it will defend its freedom and independence”
I do not view the freedom of evil governments as being equivalent to the freedom of the peoples!
Lol, By evil government you meant the Kremlin.
Zelensky had been bombing eastern Ukraine, murdering tens of thousands of ethnic Russians residing in his country, long before Russia invaded it! Zelensky has also been caught skimming money for himself out of the financial aid intended for military use from the U.S. Both Russia and Ukraine have evil governments, but Zelensky takes the cake!
Zelensky will tear Putin a new a hole with a Z in it. Lol.
Back in the day, you were a crusader for Iraq and praying for Russia’s assistance to Iraq to oust the invaders, right?
No.
Selective in your aggression cheerleading aren’t you.
Ukraine would have been much better off protecting themselves against US meddling, which began in 1991.
When this was announced last month, it was also mentioned that the delivery of GLSDB was going to take 9 months and also under the condition that it would not be used to target inside Russia (annexed territory is not Russia). Russia taking down one sounds very similar to all those Western weapons the Kremlin claimed to have destroyed before they even arrived in country as well as the 44 HIMARS destroyed when Ukraine only had 16.
https://mil.in.ua/en/news/us-to-send-glsdb-bombs-to-ukraine-in-9-months-bloomberg/
“Russia Says Ukraine Using Longer-Range US-Provided Rockets Moscow says it downed a GLSDB rocket, which has a range of up to 94 miles”
This just means that Russia will take an additional 150 NM of Ukraine!
Precisely this. If the Ukr army collapses, RF will just roll up what territory they need to protect the Donbass and Crimea. It’s almost like the US is playing into Putin’s hands.
remember when uncle sam decided that it’s missiles would be called “patriots” and the missiles that the enemy used would be called “scuds”
https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2023/03/30/does-america-have-a-future-3/
Does America Have A Future?
Aye, there is the rub…
Word of the day: VAPORIZE.
If anything, GLSDBs should be easier to intercept than rockets. They are gravity based bombs that have to be release from a high altitude and they aren’t small. They are 2,000lb and 10ft long
Dont believe your Russian sources.
A GLSDB is a GBU 39 thus Not 2,000 lbs but a 250 lbs ordnance so they are small.
And guided – thus not just gravity directed (based).
“Boeing had been pushing the Biden administration to provide Kyiv with the GLSDBs ” A President’s administration has to answer to Boeing ? Am I reading this correctly ?