The United States could announce as early as this week that it will ship missile launch systems to Ukraine.

As several American media reports unanimously, Kyiv is said to have asked Washington for a long time.

It is said to be two systems: the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) and the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's adviser Mykhailo Podoliak wrote on Twitter that Ukraine could "put Russia back behind the Iron Curtain" but that would require artillery with a longer range than Ukraine now has.

Oliver Kuehn

Editor in Politics.

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The heavy weapons Ukraine is now demanding from the West include anti-ship missiles to threaten Russian fleets in the Black Sea, but particularly longer-range rocket launchers.

The American systems MLRS and HIMARS have reportedly been on Kiev's wish list for a long time.

However, the United States had hesitated for a long time with a delivery because Ukraine could also attack Russian territory with these weapons.

So far, Washington has feared a violent reaction from the Kremlin should it come to that.

Demand to classify Russia as a “state of terror”.

The MLRS system is a mobile armored multiple rocket launcher, based on the chassis of the American Bradley tank.

The system can be armed with twelve missiles that can be fired in less than a minute and are guided to the target by a guidance system.

The system was developed during the Cold War and was intended to change position immediately after launch in order to avoid counter-fire.

In Germany, the system is known under the name MARS and is also used by the German armed forces.

In contrast to the MLRS, the HIMARS system is not mounted on a tracked vehicle but on a truck.

It can fire the same ammunition as the MLRS, but only six missiles at a time.

The maximum range that can be achieved with special projectiles is 500 kilometers,

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video address over the weekend that his country is unlikely to be able to conquer all areas controlled by Russia.

But he is certain that it is militarily possible to take back everything that Russia has brought under its control since the invasion began on February 24.

The other areas, i.e. the Crimean Peninsula and the so-called People's Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, could not be won back, that would cost too many lives.

In addition, Zelenskyy called for Russia to be classified as a "terror state".

Terror has become "the only form of action by the Russian state towards Europe".

He will address the issue at a special EU summit earlier this week.

Meanwhile, the Russian army is still attacking the Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk.

However, according to the American "Institute For The Study Of War", this is only done in order to be able to take over the last major town in the Luhansk Oblast and to be able to report complete control of it.

The Russian army is making progress there, but is almost at a standstill on other sections of the front or has to defend itself against Ukrainian counterattacks.

According to the situation assessment, a large part of the city is surrounded.

After a possible success, which is not yet certain, however, the Russian army will hardly be able to carry out larger operations, since they already have to fall back on reserves.

Although the Ukrainian armed forces also suffered heavy casualties, they were still defending themselves.