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Ukraine says it used US-supplied glide bombs in Kursk incursion
Many of Ukraine’s international allies oppose the country using donated weapons for anything but defensive purposes. However, Ukraine has argued that its Kursk incursion is essentially defensive and aimed at creating a buffer zone to minimise attacks on Ukrainian soil.
Ukraine’s military says it used high-precision US glide bombs for strikes in Russia’s Kursk region and that is has recaptured some territory in the eastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv that has been under a Russian offensive since spring.
Ukraine’s Air Force Commander Lieutenant General Mykola Oleschuk published a video on Thursday night purporting to show a Russian platoon base being hit in Kursk, where Ukrainian forces launched a surprise cross-border incursion on August 6.
He said the attack with GBU-39 bombs, which were supplied by the United States, resulted in Russian casualties and the destruction of equipment.
The video showed multiple explosions and plumes of smoke rising at the site.
Many of Ukraine’s international allies oppose the country using donated weapons for anything but defensive purposes. However, Ukraine has argued that its Kursk incursion is essentially defensive and aimed at creating a buffer zone to minimise attacks on Ukrainian soil.
US officials however have said that Washington supports Ukraine’s use of shorter-range weapons such as glide bombs in its attacks across the border.
The US has so far only put a limit on the use of longer-range ATACMS missiles for strikes deep into Russia.
US President Joe Biden said in a statement ahead of Ukraine’s Independence Day that he spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday to “express America’s unwavering support for the people of Ukraine.”
Biden also announced a new $125 million (€111 million) package of military aid for Ukraine, including air defence missiles, counter-drone equipment, anti-armour missiles and mobile rocket systems.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said on Friday that US officials have been in near-daily contact with their Ukrainian counterparts and have made no recent changes to guidance on how US weapons can be used in the Kursk offensive.
“They are allowed to use US-provided material to defend themselves against Russian aggression. And, as you know, the president allowed them to use US munitions across that border to deal with imminent threats,” Kirby said in Washington.
He added that it’s unclear how successful Ukraine’s operation in Kursk will be in the long term.
The Russian Defence Ministry said on Friday that its troops turned back Ukrainian attempts to advance on the Kursk region’s villages of Borki and Malaya Loknya.
The ministry also reported taking out a reconnaissance and sabotage group near Kamyshevka, 20 kilometres north of Sudzha, which the Ukrainians took.
Meanwhile, the United States has imposed a fresh round of sanctions on more than 400 entities and individuals for supporting Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.
That includes sanctions on Chinese companies that American officials believe are helping Moscow skirt Western sanctions and build up its military.
Washington has repeatedly warned Beijing over its support for Russia’s defence industrial base and has already issued hundreds of sanctions aimed at restricting Moscow’s ability to exploit certain technologies for military purposes.
The sanctions package includes measures against companies in China involved in shipping machine tools and microelectronics to Russia, according to a State Department fact sheet outlining its sanctions against 190 targets.