Russia vows 'immediate' retaliation over EU arms policy shift
- Russia's reaction to the lifting of restrictions on the use by the Ukrainian army of European weapons for strikes on Russian territory will be harsh, asymmetric, and immediate, said the head of the Duma Defence Committee, General Andrey Kartapolov, in a propagandistic tone.
Much of the information provided by Russian state media or Kremlin officials is likely untrue. Such reports may be part of the Russian Federation's information warfare.
The head of the State Duma Defence Committee reacted to the words of EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell.
"They will feel it immediately"
- Russia will respond harshly and asymmetrically to the lifting of restrictions on the use of European weapons by the Ukrainian Armed Forces to attack Russian Federation territory; the response will be such that "they will feel it immediately", - threatened Kartapolov, as quoted by the propagandistic RIA Novosti.
On Thursday, Borrell said that EU countries should "completely lift restrictions on Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory". He also emphasised that the lifting of bans by EU countries on the use of European weapons by the Ukrainian Armed Forces for strikes deep into Russian territory does not mean "entering a war with Moscow".
The West supplies Ukraine with weapons, including long-range missiles, to counter Russian aggression. Initially, the Ukrainian Armed Forces were banned from using these weapons for targets on the territory of the Russian Federation, as Western countries feared an escalation of the conflict. However, the restriction was partially lifted after the Russian army began its offensive in the Kharkiv region in the spring.
Kyiv wants to strike Russian military airfields
The United States also agreed to attacks on Russian territory using ATACMS, limiting their range of use to 100 kilometres from the border. However, this is too close for Kyiv to strike Russian airfields.
On 16 August, several well-informed CNN sources reported that Washington banned Kyiv from using long-range ATACMS missiles to attack Russian territory during the invasion of the Kursk region. According to the sources, Washington's position is not related to the risk of conflict escalation but to the fact that the United States has a limited supply of missiles that can be provided to Kyiv. Therefore, American officials believe that the provided weapons would be better used for attacks on targets in occupied Crimea.
The Washington Post previously reported this. According to the publication's sources, after the Ukrainian Armed Forces' offensive in the Kursk region began on 6 August, Kyiv asked Washington for permission to use ATACMS missiles to attack airfields in Russia, but the American side rejected this request.
On 12 August, "The Telegraph" reported that the United Kingdom did not allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles. At the same time, "The Times" wrote that British ministers have "privately" started urging allies to allow Kyiv to use cruise missiles at its own discretion.
"They have the right to use Danish weapons"
On 19 August, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen stated that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have the right to use Danish weapons to attack infrastructure and military targets on Russian territory. - Defending yourself may well include invading the aggressor's territory. If, as part of this, you attack the infrastructure or military facilities of the attacker, it is entirely within the rules of war - he explained.
On 30 August, Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov and the head of President Volodymyr Zelensky's office, Andriy Yermak, met with Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin. They were to present a list of military targets in Russia to obtain consent to attack them using American weapons.
