The foreign affairs outlet DEBKAFile reports that for the first time, Ukrainian forces have offensively used American weapons against Russian targets, a development that certainly will not sit well with President Vladimir Putin, especially since his troops have been taking a beating from U.S. and NATO-supplied arms for months.
Worse, the targets struck by the Ukrainians were on Russian soil.
"Monday, Dec. 19 saw the first Ukrainian strikes inside Russia with advanced US missiles that President Joe Biden promised the Ukraine leader a week earlier," the outlet reported. "DEBKAfile’s military sources report that the Ukrainians used their fresh supplies of AGM-88 Harm missiles to strike power and water supply plants in the Russian town of Belgorod in retaliation for Moscow’s unceasing Iranian-made drone assaults on its vital facilities including power – in a bid to freeze Ukraine into submission.
The report noted further:
The American AGM-88 is a high-speed anti-radiation missile designed to disarm the radar systems of antiair weapons. Powered with solid fuel, it can reach a speed of Mach 2 without generating smoke, which makes it hard for the targeted victims to detect in time to ward off its strike.
Our sources note that this missile attack was timed for Monday to coincide with an important summit President Vladimir Putin held with his Belarus ally, Alexander Lukashenko. The first use of an American offensive weapon on targets inside Russia is expected in military circles to raise the stakes of the Ukraine conflict. Putin may decide to expand his campaign to crush Ukrainian resistance even to the point of taking his war across the border into its NATO neighbors, especially those keeping Kyev supplied with military equipment.
Meanwhile, while Ukraine is getting a great deal of military assistance from the U.S. and NATO, its own forces are becoming adept at 'acquiring' Russian equipment and systems abandoned by retreating troops, especially T-72 and T-90 main battle tanks.
Recently, video footage that was posted to social media showed Ukraine forces containing to capture and then redeploy Russian tanks -- even using some of them to commandeer more tanks and vehicles, the military news site 1945 noted.
"In one video recorded from inside of a car, a captured Russian tank towing a recently-captured Russian MT-LB armored personnel carrier," the report stated. "In the footage, multiple Ukrainian soldiers can be seen sitting on top of the tank as it tows the captured MT-LB personnel carrier. One soldier appears to wave as they pass the individual recording from inside their car."
Here's the video:
#Ukraine: A Russian MT-LB armored personnel carrier with a ZU-23-2 23mm autocannon was captured by Ukrainian forces in #Luhansk Oblast.
Interestingly, the captured vehicle was recovered by a previously captured Russian T-72B3 tank. pic.twitter.com/o6d5JUzTew
— ?? Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) December 19, 2022
“A Russian MT-LB armored personnel carrier with a ZU-23-2 23mm autocannon was captured by Ukrainian forces in #Luhansk Oblast,” the account, Ukraine Weapons Tracker, writes. “Interestingly, the captured vehicle was recovered by a previously captured Russian T-72B3 tank."
1945 noted that while Russia continues to deal with an ammunition and equipment shortage that continues to worsen, Russian units in the field appear more than willing to abandon valuable weapons systems, some of which have received combat damage but are nonetheless able to be repaired, to advancing Ukrainian forces.
"In one clip from earlier in the year, Ukrainian soldiers in Mariupol can be seen operating a T-641M tank which is connected to a captured Russian T-72B3M tank, still emblazoned with multiple 'Z' symbols on the side," the site notes further, citing the letter that Russian forces emblazoned on their vehicles to show friendly forces they are allied.
"Around half a dozen Ukrainian soldiers can be seen aboard the Ukrainian tank, while another soldier can be seen operating the captured Russian tank as it is being towed."
WATCH:
Throwback to #Mariupol.
A ??#Ukrainian T-64B1M tank pulls a captured ??#Russian T-72B3M "No.525" tank. pic.twitter.com/rnUIdTATIr
— ?????? ??? ????? (@praisethesteph) December 18, 2022
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