In a significant policy shift, Ukraine has been given permission by the United States and other Western allies to use their weapons to strike military targets inside Russia. Previously, the use of Western weapons was restricted to military targets within Ukraine, including Crimea and occupied territories. Concerns about escalating the conflict had prevented the use of these weapons across the internationally recognized border.

The latest Russian advance in the northeastern Kharkiv region played a crucial role in influencing Kyiv's allies to reconsider their stance. Last month, Russia launched a massive ground assault in the region, capturing several villages and posing a serious threat to Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, which is located just 30km from the border. The border in this area serves as the front line, and the ban on using Western weapons to hit targets beyond Ukraine allowed Russian troops to prepare for their operations in a safe environment.

Under growing pressure from Ukraine and other European states, the United States agreed to change its policy and allow Kyiv to strike Russia with Western weapons. The decision reflects a commitment to ensuring Ukraine has what it needs to defend itself. However, the permission does not extend to long-range weapons such as ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile Systems), which have a range of 300km and could hit military bases and airfields further into Russian territory.

This policy adjustment empowers Ukraine to focus on targets near its border using weapons like HIMARS multiple rocket launchers, which have a range of up to 70km. These rocket launchers can significantly disrupt Russian logistics operations and troop movements, slowing down any offensive plans. Ukrainian military operations in the northeast, specifically the Kharkiv tactical group, welcome the new possibility of striking enemy concentrations of troops, equipment, and supply storage facilities.

Despite this development, Ukraine remains vulnerable to Russian glide bombs known as KAB, which are regularly used to bomb Kharkiv and other border towns. Intercepting these deadly bombs requires targeting the planes dropping them, and Ukraine currently has access to the US air-defense system Patriot. However, deploying this system closer to Kharkiv is risky due to the potential of detection by spy drones and the threat of Russian missile attacks.

Notably, the UK and France, which jointly provide Ukraine with Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missiles, have not explicitly restricted their use. These missiles have a range of up to 250km and could potentially target airfields in the Kursk and Belgorod regions bordering Ukraine. However, the effectiveness of such operations is limited by the vulnerability of Ukrainian aircraft, such as Su-24s equipped with these cruise missiles, to Russian air defense systems. The expected arrival of F-16 jets by the end of the year may offer Ukraine better-equipped aircraft for these tasks, but their use against targets in Russia is uncertain.

President Volodymyr Zelensky believes that using Western weapons on Russian territory is a matter of time. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces are also actively developing their own weapons, such as drones, to target Russian military facilities hundreds of kilometers away from the border.

The decision to allow Ukraine to use Western weapons against Russian military sites near Kharkiv marks a significant policy shift by Kyiv's main allies. While this development strengthens Ukraine's capacity to defend against new attacks in the region, the use of these weapons does come with limitations and risks. The situation continues to evolve, with Ukraine's partners and their willingness to support further offensive actions against Russia remaining uncertain.

In other news, a recent Kremlin-backed scheme has raised concerns, as comics glorifying Russian soldiers and praising the invasion of Ukraine are being distributed to schools across Russia.