ATACMS missiles attack Russian targets at night (Photo: Ukrainian Army).
Riley Bailey, an analyst at the ISW organization (USA), commented that the ATACMS missile with an attack range of 165km that Washington provided to Ukraine is making it difficult for Russia, making one of the tactics Moscow has applied in recent times less effective.
This weapon allows Ukraine to strike at long range, approaching high-value targets such as weapons depots, equipment, and ammunition.
Ukraine claims to have used ATACMS in attacks on two airports in Russian-controlled territory earlier this month, destroying Russian ammunition depots and helicopters and damaging the airfields.
According to expert Bailey, ATACMS has important advantages over other long-range weapons that Ukraine possesses, such as the British and French Storm Shadow missiles, as well as the US HIMARS rockets.
The advantage is that ATACMS has 950 cluster munitions inside and they will explode when the missile is fired. This version of ATACMS is capable of causing widespread destruction.
This feature helps Ukraine neutralize Russia's previous tactics to deal with Kiev's long-range attacks, according to expert Bailey.
According to him, before HIMARS appeared last June, Russia often concentrated military equipment in one area. However, to deal with HIMARS, Russia learned its lesson and dispersed weapons and equipment over a wider area to reduce the destructive effect of the rockets the US provided to Ukraine.
“Ukrainian forces were able to conduct devastating HIMARS attacks on ammunition depots and force the Russian command to disperse the ammunition depots,” Mr. Bailey said.
Russia's goal is to prevent a Ukrainian HIMARS attack from causing too much damage if Moscow fails to intercept the rocket.
However, with nearly 1,000 cluster munitions in ATACMS, Ukraine can now attack enemy equipment and weapons located far apart, with a much wider range of destruction.
Previously, with HIMARS or Storm Shadow, Ukraine would attack in a "one-on-one" manner, meaning one missile would aim to destroy one Russian target.
However, with ATACMS carrying cluster munitions, a single missile is capable of destroying multiple valuable targets. For example, Ukraine last week claimed to have damaged nine Russian military helicopters in an attack on two military bases.
Mr. Bailey said that Russian commanders now face a new problem to adapt to and may find this a bigger challenge than when HIMARS appeared.
Ukraine first posted video of ATACMS missile firing, destroying 9 Russian helicopters (Video: Ukrainian Army).
Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said ATACMS marked a “new chapter of this war” and meant “there is no safer place for Russian troops” in Ukraine.
One option Russia could choose, Mr. Bailey said, is to continue to disperse weapons, equipment, and ammunition depots further apart. This brings major limitations, causing a logistical burden for Moscow.
Having to withdraw aircraft further from the front line also affects the time they can be deployed for combat missions.
Despite the effectiveness of ATACMS, sources say the US has only delivered 20 to Ukraine.
Expert Phillips P. O'Brien from the University of St Andrews (UK) commented that this number is too small, indirectly giving Russia time to react and adapt, as well as find a way to intercept ATACMS.
According to Mr. O'Brien, Ukraine "should have received enough missiles to destroy all the airports" in the Moscow-controlled area.
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