Ukraine’s defense minister says US missile systems have changed the rules of the game

Ukrainian Defense Minister Tell The Wall Street Journal said the deployment of US long-range missile systems was a “game changer” in the war against Russia.

Oleksiy Reznikov said the M142 High Mobility Missile Systems, often referred to as HIMARS, had been effectively used by Ukrainian forces in the northeastern town of Izyum, but said more was needed to repel Russian forces.

“We needed to convince and prove them,” Reznikov told the newspaper about Ukraine’s ability to effectively use the weapons systems. “In the case of Izyum, we were accurate [in targeting] Russian command center for air operations. It was really accurate. Our partners saw him and said: You passed the test.

Reznikov also said that the Ukrainian focus needs more supplies such as armed vehicles, tanks, drones and unmanned aerial vehicles, noting that the drones in use are constantly jammed by Russian forces.

“We need to modernize and change our platoons and make replacements as well because we are also experiencing significant losses,” Reznikov said. “We are waiting for more armor, more weapons from our partners. We need to rebuild some directions, modernize our fortifications and plan a new operational strategy.”

Ukraine is ramping up its naval forces in the Black Sea as Russia continues to block the country’s grain supplies from reaching the global market, according to the newspaper.

in the current situation On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had launched brutal air raids on residential areas as Moscow continued its quest to control the Donbass region.

Russian forces have already captured the city of Lysichansk and are looking to regain full control of the Donetsk region, which is under intense bombardment.

Ukraine has repeatedly said that the most important thing that the West can offer in its war against Russia is weapons, since Russia retains a significant advantage in long-range weapons. It promised not to use US missile systems to strike targets inside Russia.

The Pentagon a statement An arms package worth $820 million earlier this month for the beleaguered country, which included advanced air defense systems. Since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in February, the United States has allocated $6.9 billion in security assistance to Ukraine.