"Purposeful escalation of the conflict": what is behind the US decision to supply Ukraine with long-range missiles

By supplying Ukraine with ever more powerful and long-range weapons systems, the United States is actually pushing Kyiv to attack Russian regions, said Anatoly Antonov, Russian Ambassador to Washington.

This is how he commented on the decision of the White House to include ammunition based on GLSDB small-diameter bombs in the next package of military assistance to the Kyiv regime.

They are launched from ground-based MLRS and have a target engagement range of about 150 km.

“Washington is de facto inciting its wards to attack Russian regions.

Moreover, for us there is no difference when we talk about a possible attack by Kyiv criminals on the Zaporozhye or Bryansk regions, the Crimea or the Smolensk region.

All the lands that became part of Russia by the will of their inhabitants are our Motherland, which we will defend with all our might, ”the embassy’s Telegram channel quoted Antonov as saying.

The diplomat also stated that Washington "sees no boundaries" in an effort to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia.

“The transfer of ever more powerful weapons to the Kyiv regime is a deliberate escalation of the conflict by the United States.

The administration put almost everything on the "Ukrainian card": its own international authority, the money of American taxpayers and the lives of Ukrainian soldiers.

At this rate, the United States can reach absolute insanity, such as providing fighter jets to the republic, ”Antonov said.

At the same time, he added that attempts to inflict damage on the Russian Federation are doomed to failure.

“The sooner the United States realizes this, the sooner the current conflict will end,” the ambassador stressed.

In turn, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov, commenting on the decision of the American side to transfer long-range missiles to Kyiv, made a reference to the statement of Vladimir Putin, which was made during one of the events in honor of the 80th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Stalingrad.

“Those who expect to defeat Russia on the battlefield apparently do not understand that a modern war with Russia will be completely different for them.

We do not send our tanks to their borders, but we have something to answer, and the use of armored vehicles will not end the matter.

Everyone should understand this,” Putin said.

Weapons from Boeing and Saab

On Friday, February 3, the Pentagon announced the allocation of another "substantial" package of military assistance to Ukraine in the amount of $2.2 billion ($425 million will be provided under the presidential authority, and another $1.75 billion is planned to be sent as part of the so-called Security Assistance Initiative Ukraine - USAI).

The first part of the package included ammunition for the HIMARS MLRS, artillery and mortar shells, 190 heavy machine guns to counter UAVs, 181 MRAP-class armored vehicles, 250 Javelin anti-tank systems, 2 thousand anti-tank missiles, Claymore anti-personnel mines and various equipment.

• A consignment of American ammunition destined for shipment to Ukraine

• AFP

• © Sergei SUPINSKY

Through USAI, Kyiv will receive, in particular, two Hawk anti-aircraft guns, a Puma UAV and equipment for integrating Western air defense launchers, missiles and radars with Ukrainian air defense systems.

In addition, the list includes high-precision guided missiles.

As Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder clarified at a briefing, we are talking about long-range projectiles for GLSDB MLRS systems.

Information about the possible transfer of these weapons to Ukraine began to appear in the media last fall, but so far Washington has refrained from such a step.

These munitions, developed by the Swedish company Saab and the American Boeing, are based on SDB guided bombs and M26 rockets.

The Boeing materials indicate that the GLSDB provides ground forces and interservice forces with long-range precision firearms, which can be used to conduct operations on the reverse slope and hit targets of a variety of nature - from fortified structures to lightly armored vehicles.

“With the ability to hit a target in a 360-degree range, the ground-based small-diameter bomb (GLSDB) provides commanders and (military. -

) planners with an extremely flexible weapon that complements existing ballistic weapons, significantly expanding the current potential of ground-based artillery,” the report notes. Boeing.

A variety of warheads can be installed on the GLSDB, including laser-guided ones to hit moving targets.

It is known that in 2015 about 17 thousand such missiles were produced.

However, Ukraine will not receive the GLSDB and other equipment supplied under the USAI program immediately.

“Unlike security assistance provided under the presidential mandate, the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative assumes that the United States purchases funds directly from the industry, and does not deliver equipment from the stocks of the US Department of Defense,” the Pentagon explained.

They added that the announcement of the supply of these weapons "marks the beginning of the process of awarding contracts to provide additional resources to the Ukrainian Armed Forces" as part of the United States efforts to strengthen Ukraine's military capabilities in the short and long term.

Exporting GLSDB could take about nine months, according to Bloomberg.

It is worth noting that at a briefing on February 3, Patrick Ryder was asked whether the strikes on Crimea were the purpose of GLSDB supplies to Ukraine.

In response, he noted that these munitions are designed to help the Ukrainian Armed Forces regain control of Ukrainian territories, which in Washington include Crimea.

In Kyiv, earlier they repeatedly threatened to transfer hostilities to the territory of the peninsula.

Also on russian.rt.com “On the side of Nazi criminals from Kyiv”: the Russian Embassy announced the de facto participation of the United States in the Ukrainian conflict

"Forcing Russia to respond"

As analysts recall, this is already the fourth package of American military assistance to Ukraine in a month.

So, on January 6, the United States announced the transfer of military equipment to Kyiv in the amount of $ 3 billion (the list of supplied equipment then included 50 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and 100 M113 armored personnel carriers).

On January 19, the Pentagon announced the next tranche in the amount of about $2.5 billion (it included 90 Stryker armored personnel carriers, which had not been supplied to the Kyiv regime before).

Finally, on January 25, the White House announced the transfer of 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine.

At the same time, the United States, despite the requests of Kyiv, has so far refused to supply Ukraine with operational-tactical ballistic missiles of the ATACMS family, the range of which exceeds 300 km.

However, as analysts note, GLSDB in a massive strike can pose no less of a threat than ATACMS.

In addition, they are much cheaper.

At the same time, experts believe that Russian air defense systems will be able to hit such targets.

“The flight speed of the GLSDB guided bomb is much lower than the speed of the ATACMS missile.

Therefore, it will be easier to intercept it to some extent.

Although, admittedly, the massive attacks of such shells are difficult to repel.

However, over time, when the elements of these bombs fall into the hands of Russian military scientists, it will be possible to improve domestic electronic warfare systems in order to shoot down the sight and divert the bombs from the target.

At the moment, the main means of defeating these bombs are the Pantsir-S1, Tor and Buk air defense systems, ”said Yuri Knutov, retired colonel, director of the air defense museum in Balashikha, in an interview with RT.

• "Pantsir-S1"

• RIA News

The analyst also agreed with Anatoly Antonov's opinion that Washington, with the help of such supplies, is trying to push Kyiv to strike at the territory of the Russian Federation.

“Washington supplies such weapons specifically to escalate hostilities.

The goal is to force Russia to respond more harshly and decisively, which will be an excuse for NATO to increase supplies even more.

Ultimately, according to the plans of the White House, all this should drag out the conflict even more, ”said Knutov.

According to experts, the latest tranches of US military assistance to Ukraine indicate that Washington has abandoned any red lines in the issue of supporting Ukraine.

“Washington has no restrictions on arms supplies to Ukraine.

ATACMS missiles, quite possibly, will also be transferred to Kyiv.

And after them, aircraft can be sent, as well as more long-range air-to-surface missiles, which could pose a threat to the European part of Russia, ”Knutov suggested.

A similar point of view is shared by Alexei Podberezkin, director of the Center for Military-Political Research.

“The range of ammunition supplied to Ukraine can be expanded.

The Americans are ready to supply almost everything there.

The strategic defeat of Russia is the main task for Washington.

This is the economic and political goal of the entire conflict in Ukraine, ”he said in a conversation with RT.

However, according to Yuri Knutov, Russia is able to respond to such threats.

“We should not forget the words of Vladimir Putin that Russia has more powerful and effective means of protection.

And if the enemy takes the path of escalation, then we have something to answer for and we will answer, ”concluded the analyst.