Admiral Tony Radakin, the commander of the British armed forces, announced that Ukraine is preparing to intensify deep raids into Russian territory after receiving long-range weapons from the West. He made this statement on April 25, emphasizing that Ukraine is currently facing a challenging period due to Russia’s attacks. However, he noted that there are more favorable long-term trends for Ukraine that are emerging.
According to Radakin, Ukraine has recently received new military aid packages from the US and Europe, and their long-range raid campaigns have been increasingly successful. He pointed out Russia’s failure to prevent military exports across the Black Sea. The US recently resumed military aid to Ukraine after a six-month interruption. During this time, the Ukrainian army faced a shortage of ammunition and weapons while Russian forces made significant advances and continuously attacked with heavy artillery, missiles, and UAVs.
To regain initiative on the battlefield, Ukraine has been requesting high-tech long-range weapons from the West. They have also conducted raids on production and energy infrastructure deep within Russian territory, including oil refineries. The US covertly transferred ATACMS missiles with a range of 300 km to Ukraine in March, but President Joe Biden instructed that these not be used to attack Russia. Despite disagreements between Ukraine and the US regarding raids on Russian oil refineries, Radakin expressed confidence in Ukraine’s capabilities. He emphasized the impact of Ukraine’s long-range strike capability on the conflict. The UK has pledged over $3.7 billion in aid to Ukraine and signed contracts with defense companies to provide more weapons, including anti-aircraft missiles and cruise missiles.
