Ukrainian military commanders said Ukraine was able to destroy Russian military formations after receiving permission from its allies to use weapons to attack Russian military targets across the border.
An artillery commander with the call sign Hephaestus told The Associated Press that Ukrainian Himal artillery began shelling areas north of Kharkiv Oblast as soon as Ukraine received permission.
“HIMARS wasn’t silent all day,” he said, referring to the U.S.-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket System.
Ukraine last month received permission from its allies to attack Russian military targets with weapons they supplied, reversing long-standing restrictions.
“From the first days, the Ukrainian armed forces managed to destroy entire columns of troops along the border waiting for orders to enter Ukraine,” Hephaestus said, according to the Associated Press.
He said Ukraine would not have been able to achieve this without the new authorization because conventional munitions could not reach that far.
Hefastus added that Ukraine was now able to destroy Russian command posts.
His claims have not been independently verified.
Still, since the restrictions were lifted, Ukraine appears to be using HIMARS to attack Russian targets.
Russia also has troops stationed near the Ukrainian border and is prepared to be deployed into combat.
Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Ivan Havlylyuk told The Associated Press that at least 90,000 Russian troops deep inside Russian territory were preparing for a new attack when the restrictions were lifted.
It is not clear which of these forces were the ones allegedly hit by the HIMARS attack.
Analysts have said Ukraine has been forced to fight with one hand behind its back as Russia uses its territory to resupply its troops and launch attacks with drones, missiles and aircraft.
That changed in May, when many of Ukraine’s allies announced that Ukraine could use weapons supplied to them to attack military targets on Russian territory.
The United States, which announced the policy change on May 30, did not go as far as some other countries but still said Ukraine could use U.S.-supplied weapons to attack areas beyond the Kharkiv border.
This enabled Ukraine to more strongly counter a new Russian offensive that began in Kharkov on May 10.
On Tuesday, the Ukrainian National Guard released photos of two Russian Pantsir-S air defense systems destroyed just south of the city of Belgorod. Russian media also reported on the attack, which took place within the range of HIMARS.
It is unclear what exact weapon was used, but Defense Express reported that Pantsir’s location had been leaked to OSINT researchers about six months ago, and further suggested that a change in US posture had made the attack possible.
Experts say this new reality is having a major impact on Kharkiv, especially since the Russian border is so close to the fighting. Until now, Russia has been able to supply its forces with troops, ammunition and equipment, leaving Ukraine little room to intervene.
George Barros, a Russian military expert at the Institute for the Study of War, told BI that the first few days had seen “positive changes.”
“They actually helped blunt the Russian attack at its core,” he said, allowing Ukraine to launch “smaller tactical counterattacks.”
Two Ukrainian officials told The Washington Post that Russian attacks had tapered off somewhat, but added that the air base from which Russia launched its attacks was outside the range of strikes Ukraine could launch with U.S. authorization.
The Associated Press reported that Ukraine’s new offensive capabilities have “significantly blunted Russia’s momentum,” and local reports say Ukrainian forces have been able to make advances and retake some territory, but they remain under significant pressure.
