Ukraine may direct the next strike with Western missiles at objects in the Rostov region. According to journalists, many potential targets for the Armed Forces are concentrated there.
Points of attention
- The deployment of ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles by the Ukrainian army indicates readiness for further strikes on Russian military facilities.
- Rostov Oblast became a potential target because of its key importance for the location of Russian troops and logistics.
- A strike on mobile headquarters and military facilities could paralyze the activities of hundreds of Russian soldiers.
- British Storm Shadow missiles have already been used by Ukraine to strike military targets on the territory of Russia.
Rostov is a key point for the deployment of Russian troops
As the publication notes, after the allies allowed strikes on the territory of Russia, such facilities as airfields, ammunition depots and training grounds are no longer safe.
Hundreds of targets were within range of ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles, which are much more powerful than the drones used by Ukraine.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has counted about 200 potential military targets within the range of these missiles. ISW analyst George Barros emphasizes that this is only part of the possible targets. Ukraine can use intelligence for attacks on mobile headquarters and other key facilities.
An attack on the headquarters of a brigade or a division can paralyze the activities of hundreds of Russian soldiers for several days, — noted analyst Barros.
The publication also notes that Rostov is a key point for the deployment of Russian troops.
The region is home to at least four airports, including military and civilian ones, that are within range of Western missiles. Rostov is also a gathering place for troops that are deployed to the occupied regions of Ukraine.
A strike on the Rostov region could deal a serious blow to logistics and disorganize Russian troops, the WSJ notes.
Storm Shadow for Ukraine: where was the first strike against the Russian Federation
The Defense Forces of Ukraine used British Storm Shadow cruise missiles for the first time against military facilities on the territory of Russia.
Bloomberg writes about this with reference to an anonymous Western official,
The agency does not specify when and where exactly Ukraine hit the targets with the help of Storm Shadow, but earlier on November 20, Russian sources wrote about the use of these missiles in the Kursk region.
The Guardian portal also reports on the strike by British missiles, which refers to the analysis of photo fragments of missiles from Kurshchyna.
The office of the Prime Minister of Great Britain said that they do not comment on reports about the possible use of Storm Shadow against targets on Russian territory.
The media previously reported that Britain had privately approved permission to strike Ukraine with delivered cruise missiles at Russian targets in response to Russia's deployment of North Korean troops.
Previously, the US also allowed strikes with its long-range ATACMS missiles against Russia, although they do not publicly announce this.
In particular, Ukraine has already struck the first strikes with American ATACMS missiles on the territory of the Russian Federation. The strike was on a military facility near the city of Karachev in the Bryansk region.
