What to know about ATACMS, the US long-range missile system Ukraine is to use on Russia

United States president Joe Biden has given Ukraine the green light to use long-range US missiles to attack targets inside Russia, according to several American media outlets.

Missiles call follows North Korean troops deployment

The chief motive for this move, it is reported, is to dissuade North Korea from deploying further troops to support the Russian war effort. Speaking to the Washington Post, an anonymous US official said the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, has to understand that Pyongyang’s decision to send troops to Russia’s Kursk region was a “costly” error.

Kyiv’s long-range missile attacks are set to focus on Kursk, a Ukrainian-controlled area located close to the border between Russia and Ukraine. The October deployment of North Korean troops was approved by Pyongyang in an attempt to help Russia reclaim the territory.

“Specific and limited effect”

Biden has authorized Ukraine, led by its president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to use the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) to carry out airstrikes in Russia. This is a step that had hitherto been avoided, out of fears that it would cause an escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The decision comes two months before Biden is replaced in the White House by president-elect Donald Trump, who defeated the current vice-president, Kamala Harris, in the US presidential election two weeks ago. Trump has promised to bring an end to the war.

In a bid to prevent an escalation of the conflict, another source told the Washington Post, the use of ATACMS will have a “very specific and limited effect” on the battlefield. Meanwhile, other sources have explained that Biden aims to strengthen Ukraine’s position with a view to possible talks with Moscow after Trump takes office as US president in January.

What is ATACMS?

ATACMS is a supersonic tactical ballistic missile system that uses either conventional or cluster warheads, and has a maximum range of around 190 miles. Powered by solid propellant, ATACMS missiles are about four meters long and just over six centimeters in diameter.

Putin warns of change to “very nature” of Russia-Ukraine conflict

In recent months, there has been frequent discussion about the possibility of Ukraine being given the go-ahead to use long-range US missiles to attack Russian territory. “The president [Vladimir Putin] has already spoken out on this matter,” said Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, on Sunday.

Zakharova was referring to Putin’s comments of September 13, when the Russian leader said: “If this decision [to greenlight Ukraine’s use of Western long-range missiles] is made, it will mean nothing short of direct involvement – it will mean that NATO countries, the United States and European countries are parties to the war in Ukraine.

“This will mean their direct involvement in the conflict, and it will clearly change the very essence, the very nature of the conflict dramatically.”

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