ISW analyzed the “successful combined strike” of the Armed Forces against the Russian rear

On the night of November 19-20, the Ukrainian military carried out a successful combined attack on military assets in the Russian rear using drones and Western long-range weapons, this indicates that Ukraine has already begun to use long-range weapons systems provided by the West to create more complex and effective strike packages, the American Institute for the Study of War states in its report.

The ISW noted that they could not yet confirm that the Ukrainian target could have been Baryatynskyi’s estate in Maryino, where, as the Ukrainian defense publication Defense Express suggested, there was a command post for Russian and North Korean troops operating in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation.

“ISW is currently unable to confirm this claim, but Marino is located approximately 30 kilometers from the current Kursk Oblast salient, which would be an appropriate distance for the operational headquarters of forces advancing along the salient,” the analysts said.

ISW drew attention to the fact that during the strike on November 19-20, Ukrainian forces used both long-range attack drones and Storm Shadow missiles.

“ISW has long believed that the systems and capabilities that Western partners provide to Ukraine, along with Ukrainian defense industrial production and innovation efforts, are integral components of the broader capabilities that Ukraine needs to successfully conduct large-scale modern warfare,” the statement said.

Analysts say Ukraine has already proven its effectiveness in using drones, often domestically produced, to strike a variety of military targets in Russian rear areas, including air bases, command headquarters and artillery depots.

“Ukraine’s arsenal already includes aerial and naval drones and Western systems such as the F-16, HIMARS and ATACMS, although the terms of use of the latter systems have limited the benefit that Ukraine can derive from their use. The addition of more powerful and accurate Western systems, such as JASSM and additional ATACMS, Storm Shadows and SCALP systems, is critical for Ukraine to enhance the effect it can create with long-range strikes against Russian rears,” ISW said. .

The Institute for the Study of War states that the West’s restrictions on Ukraine’s ability to use the weapons provided by it for strikes on Russian territory are narrowing Ukraine’s ability to develop strike packages. “Ukraine needs sustained Western military assistance, as well as domestic innovation and manufacturing, to continue strike packages aimed at Russian rears and to have tactical and operational influence on the battlefield,” analysts say.

Bloomberg reported on November 20, citing a Western official familiar with the matter, that the Armed Forces of Ukraine used British cruise missiles for the first time against military facilities on the territory of Russia.

According to the publication’s interlocutor, Great Britain approved the use of Storm Shadow missiles in response to Russia’s deployment of North Korean troops in the war against Ukraine. At the same time, the British government did not officially announce such a move.

This happened the day after the Russian Defense Ministry said on November 19 that Ukraine had used Western ATACMS missiles to strike a military facility on Russian territory.

According to multiple US media reports, the United States has given Ukraine permission to use long-range ATACMS cruise missiles to strike deep into Russia, after months of requests from Ukrainian authorities. Washington did not deny the widespread reports, but did not confirm them either.

Ukraine has long urged Western governments to step up military support, including lifting restrictions on the use of long-range missiles to strike targets in Russia that are critical to the Kremlin’s military efforts.