Good Morning, Moscow! Ukraine Strikes Back
By Margaux Baudry. Read: 2 min 20s
After nearly 3 years of War in Ukraine, the conflict just took a turn: Ukraine retaliated, and it involved the West. The West is not the first to have ‘taken part’ in the conflict- see the article on the deployment of more than 10, 000 North Korean troops to the border of Ukraine- although it is not taking things that far (yet). What happened? And what does this mean for the West?
Russia had been warning the West for months not to let Ukraine use long-range missiles within Russian borders. Yet on the 19th of November, Ukraine launched US-manufactured long-range missiles (ATACMs) overnight. They destroyed storehouses of ‘artillery munitions including ammunitions for North Korean systems’ according to the New York Times.
Indeed, it only took a few weeks for the repercussions of the United States presidential elections to be felt in Ukraine. Following Trump’s statements that the US will cease to support Ukraine from January 2025 on behalf of peace, President Biden authorized Kyiv to fire American missiles on Russian soil.
In an interview, Russian Foreign Secretary Minister Lavrov stated that the attack signaled that the United States “wants escalation”. According to him, US missiles are operated by American experts, Russia will therefore take it as a new phase of Western War and will react accordingly….
Back in September, Putin had warned that Russia would update its nuclear doctrine to allow a potential nuclear response to the West. Following the use of US-made missiles, Putin approved the lowering of the nuclear threshold flagged two months earlier.
The next day, on November 20th, Ukraine fired British missiles (Storm Shadow) into Russia. Downing Street has stayed silent on the topic, declining to comment when given the opportunity. Britain had permitted Ukraine to use Storm Shadow missiles within Ukrainian territory. However, Kyiv had been pressing Washington for permission to strike inside Russia for several months. Biden green-lighted it when he approved the firing of ATACMs past Russian borders.
Moscow quickly backfired like they know how to; with a new intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile (Oreshnik) on the 21st of November. This serves as a warning to the West: “Back off!”- with Russia reserving its right to target British and American army facilities, if provoked.
As a side to this copious dish, questions concerning potential European involvement are raised. Back in February, during Kyiv allies talks in Paris, it was made clear that certain European countries- with Germany as a head- were completely against sending troops to Ukraine. However, Trump’s possible disengagement has sparked discussions between Paris and London to form an alliance. We can also wonder, does the US have another trick in store? Is this Biden’s last shot before leaving office?
