The Kremlin is trying to prevent the US from providing Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles in order to maintain the security of its rear, as these missiles would allow Ukrainian troops to significantly weaken the combat effectiveness of the Russian army at the front.
Points of attention
- Ukraine's access to Tomahawk missiles can greatly diminish the combat effectiveness of the Russian army by targeting vulnerable logistical areas and key military facilities.
- Tomahawk missiles can reach over 1,600 military targets in Russia, including strategic sites like the Shahed drone factory and Engels-2 airbase.
- The supply of Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine may lead to strained relations between Russia and the US, as it poses a direct threat to Russian military capabilities.
Tomahawk missiles can “reach” over 1,600 military targets in Russia
According to analysts, Ukraine is capable of launching long-range drone strikes on a significant part of Russia's rear, but their combat load is limited and not suitable for destroying specialized targets.
Ukraine's ability to launch missile strikes deep into Russia's rear with a larger payload would allow Ukraine to significantly damage—if not destroy—key military facilities in Russia, such as the Shahed drone factory in Yelabuga, Republic of Tatarstan, or Engels-2 airbase in Saratov Oblast, from which Russia launches strategic bombers that launch air-launched cruise missiles into Ukraine.
According to ISW estimates, there are at least 1,945 Russian military sites within range of the 2,500-kilometer Tomahawk variant, and at least 1,655 within range of the 1,600-kilometer variant.
(With Tomahawk — ed.) Ukraine could likely significantly degrade the combat effectiveness of Russian forces on the front line by striking vulnerable logistical support areas that support and ensure the operations of Russian forces on the front line.
The report also notes that Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to use the prospect of incentives unrelated to the war in Ukraine to obtain concessions from the United States regarding the war in Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the supply of American long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine would allegedly lead to the "destruction of relations" between Russia and the United States.
