The Ukraine-Russia war has reached a critical juncture, with significant developments over the past week marking an intensification of the conflict.
As the war entered its 1000th day, Western countries significantly strengthened Ukraine’s military capabilities, while Russia escalated its nuclear rhetoric.
Western Support for Ukraine
On Sunday evening, reports revealed that US President Joe Biden had authorized Ukraine to use longer-range ATACMS missiles to target Russian soil, a significant policy shift. Until then, Washington had restricted Ukraine’s use of these missiles to within its own borders. Following the announcement, Ukraine launched several ATACMS missiles into Russia’s Bryansk region. While the Kremlin claimed five missiles were intercepted, anonymous US officials stated that eight were fired, with two blocked.
This marked the first time in the war that American-made missiles were used to strike Russian territory.
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The following Wednesday, Ukraine also used UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles against Russian positions in Kursk, a region where Ukrainian forces have gained control over a sizable portion of territory. Later in the week, Biden further approved the use of anti-personnel landmines for Ukraine. These mines, while controversial, are seen as a critical defense tool to slow down Russian advances on the eastern front.
These three key decisions demonstrated the West’s unwavering commitment to supporting Ukraine, signaling that their assistance would not diminish anytime soon.
Russia’s Nuclear Response
On the same day as the 1000th day of the war, Russian President Vladimir Putin unveiled changes to the country’s nuclear policy, lowering the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons. The new doctrine declares that an attack from a non-nuclear country, if supported by a nuclear power, would be considered an attack on Russia, justifying a nuclear response.
In a further escalation, Russia deployed a new type of missile, the “Oreshnik,” in an attack on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. Putin claimed the missile travels at ten times the speed of sound and is impossible to counter. Many analysts believe this missile is a direct message from Russia, warning that it could be equipped with nuclear warheads, should the Kremlin choose to escalate in that direction.
