According to analysts, the provision of air defence to Ukraine and the lifting of restrictions on hitting targets on the territory of Russia with Western weapons will collectively make it possible to protect Kharkiv and the region.
Air defence and permission to strike deep into Russia together will make it possible to protect Kharkiv
According to analysts, the provision of Western air defence systems and the lifting of restrictions on using Western-provided weapons for military purposes on Russian territory remain critical for Ukraine to repel Russian strikes on the city of Kharkiv with glide bombs and missiles.
These policy changes will allow Ukrainian forces to use systems provided by the West to target Russian firing points and bridgeheads on border territories and in Russian airspace.
Ukrainian officials reported that Ukrainian forces shot down several Russian warplanes in February 2024, many of which were flying glider bombs in the direction of Avdiivka.
The ability of Ukrainian forces to shoot down Russian warplanes in the front-line zone indicates that Ukrainian forces are likely to be able to repeat the same actions using both Ukrainian and Western systems to protect the northern part of Kharkiv Oblast and the city of Kharkiv from Russian cruise missile strikes, which are launched from Russian airspace, analysts note.
How permission to strike on the territory of Russia will affect the situation in the war
According to the Hero of Ukraine, Major Vitalii Lytvyn, an officer of the intelligence unit of the "Rubizh" National Guard of Ukraine, the permission of the Western partners to strike with their weapons on the territory of Russia will free the hands of the Ukrainian military.
At the same time, Lytvyn warned that the Russian occupiers are also aware that Ukraine has received permission from Western partners to strike Russia with their weapons with certain restrictions, so they will act accordingly.
Understanding this situation, the enemy will move reserves away from the border, where we will not be able to reach with the available weapons, which we have been given permission to strike. If it were ATACMS, we could strike deeper, destroy military units and compounds, explains the soldier.
He noted that the use of ATACMS long-range missiles would allow the Ukrainian military to strike critical enemy infrastructure, which would allow the Russian occupiers to transfer additional forces and equipment to the Kharkiv region.
For example, the railway bridges over which they transfer echelons to the command of the "Belhorod" troops, that's what they call the "Sever" troop grouping. It was in Kharkiv region that the "Belhorod" troop command crossed the border and is now regrouping there, securing them at the borders they reached, Lytvyn notes.
