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© Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.U.S. to send Ukraine longer-range bombs in latest turnaround
By TARA COPP, MATTHEW LEE and LOLITA C. BALDOR WASHINGTON©2025 GPlusMedia Inc.
91 Comments
falseflagsteve
Ukraine is going to get hammered over the next couple of months despite foreign weapons and that’s guaranteed.
ihave no love for Putin and don’t care about this current military lark but it’s going to happen big time.
Abe234
Sadly I have to agree. Russia’s history has always shown how winter has been used to regroup, retrain, replenish, re-evaluate and wait for the enemy to deplete a lot of its ammunition. Russia is fully aware ,according to the news, that the new tanks are going to arrive in a few months. By that time Russia will have re-evaluated how it’s used it armor against Ukraine, replenished it’s infantry too.. I really hope Putin gets what’s coming, but the tanks should have been sent before December so crews are fully trained, and ready for the spring offensive, around march. Which is four weeks away. Russia has always seen quantity as a quality and history has shown that. From Napoleon to Hitler. More recently Iraq. The west over estimated Russia and under estimated Ukraine too. We shouldn’t be complacent. That would play into Putin’s hands.
wallace
180,000 dead Ruskies and more to come unless Putin decides to end it. Putin's hatred is intense.
deanzaZZR
Russia uses Russian based weapons systems to target Ukrainian civilian populations and the Ukranian army. Ukraine needs Ukrainian based weapons systems to target the Russian army inside Russia. It's not rocket science.
Antiquesaving
As it is now, Ukraine's Russian tanks are being serviced in Poland as are there russian-made airplanes the future German tanks will also be serviced in Poland as will everything else they don't even have the infrastructure to service their howitzer sent by the US
Nemo
Let’s see how good an idea Russia thinks striking civilian targets is when targets deep in Russia proper are held at risk.
Axel
If any country gives the crazed, desperate Nazis weapons to hit Russia, Russia will hit those countries. It's already been communicated. And Russians have excellent anti-missile defenses while the imperialist powers admit they have no defense against Russian hypersonic missiles.
deanzaZZR
@Axel lol You start a war, deal with the consequences.
M3M3M3
You are never going to defeat a superpower in its own back yard. Using the Ukrainians to attempt the impossible is rather cruel.
Stewie
The only ones buying the line about de-nazifying Ukraine are Putin himself, the uneducated, the alcohol or drug affected, and those who just dont have the required mental capacity to think.
Peeping_Tom
"180,000 dead Ruskies and more to come"
Just out of curiosity:
How many Ukrainians troops have died so far?
I have a sneaky suspicion that not ALL Ukrainian dead are civilians.
At least 1 must have been in fatigues!
Michael Machida
RUSSIA is toast.
Nemo
Every time the RT trolls drag out their nuclear weapons threat, it does nothing more than to reveal how weak and inept their “army” actually is.
And it’s an empty threat. The Russians have the same vulnerabilities and fears. The idea that it would subject itself to its own destruction is nether rational nor credible.
wallace
Tens of thousands of Ukrainians, civilians, and troops have also been killed by the Ruskie invader.
The Ruskies are killing civilians.
About 40,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed and displaced 15 million to 30 million have. About 100,000 Ukraine troops were killed.
ian
How many Ukrainians lives have been sacrificed so far?
Doesn't matter no one seems to care.
Let them die to the last person.
As long as it weakens Russia
UChosePoorly
Nemo - Spot on. Every time I hear the nuclear blustering of the pro-Putin crowd, I am reminded of the lyrics from the Geto Boys, bards from the past century:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IJCFc_qkHw
wallace
Some seem to think Ukraine should just surrender, then what?
Ukrainians are being targeted and killed by Putin. Ukrainian troops are being killed defending their country.
Jimizo
Lower lip shaking more wildly than Putin.
Oh dear. Not influencing many with that kind of hysteria.
Good move from the US.
Desert Tortoise
In a sense it is rocket science. The Ukraine needs longer ranged rockets. This new Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb is a clever use of existing hardware that has become redundant in the US. The rocket motors are from an MLRS round called M-23 that fired cluster munitions. Those cluster warheads have been removed from service and are being destroyed, leaving lots of perfectly good surplus rocket motors for some other use. The original Small Diameter Bomb, SDB, is being replaced by SDB II, an improved version with a much more advanced seeker. It is a bit of serendipity that SDB fits on the rocket and also fits in an MLRS launcher. The wings that pop out of the SDB give it a much longer gliding distance than the purely ballistic MLRS rounds the US has shipped to Ukraine. Both SDBs and M-23 rocket motors are abundant in US stocks and supplying Ukraine with them doesn't degrade US stockpiles of current weapons. This will give the Ukraine greatly increased reachback to hit Russian support facilities.
englisc aspyrgend
These are a beginning, they will bring the north of Crimea and the major GLOC’s in to range. The russians have been forced to move their command posts and ammunition dumps deep into southern Kherson to get them out of range of the HIMAR’s, this brings them back under the hammer as well as Henichesk and the occupation authorities.
300 kilometre range, would make Crimea untenable and the illegal Kerch bridge in range for the same treatment as the Antonivka.
Axel, incompetent as they have shown themselves to be but even the Imperialist russian forces are not quite stupid enough to fire hypersonic missiles at themselves. On reflection, yes they are! Good to see you are still drinking the nazis in Ukraine propaganda koolaid, always gives me a laugh, cheers me up no end.
Desert Tortoise
Lol, that's rich. Yeah, the Russians are so mighty they can't even take a weak nation with which they share a long border. They have been fought to a stand still by a nation with a fraction of their population. The mighty Russians my aching backside. I'd like to see you tell a Ukrainian to their face they are being used by anybody to resist the invasion of their country. No thought to the notion that maybe, just maybe, they don't want to be part of Russia and are willing to fight to keep the darned Russians out. Do you even believe the things you write?
UChosePoorly
Ian - just curious what the loss threshold would be in your country if a larger enemy were trying to conquer yours? It would be quite high in my own, I can assure you.
Antiquesaving
More propaganda.
Source:
https://www.ohchr.org/en/news/2023/01/ukraine-civilian-casualty-update-3-january-2023#:~:text=From%2024%20February%202022%20to%202%20January%202023%2C%20OHCHR%20recorded,6%2C919%20killed%20and%2011%2C075%20injured.
And again:
False
According to the UNHCR there are about 7 million, nearly 3 million in Russia where the largest single number are.
https://data.unhcr.org/en/situations/ukraine
Facts are real
Madverts
"The mighty Russians my aching backside"
The Russian army is a joke. They should rise up and kill their masters.
Desert Tortoise
The work is spread across Slovakia, Czechia, Poland, Germany and other NATO nations. A lot of what the West is doing is taking left over Russian hardware from former Warsaw Pact nations, often stuff that was sitting in boneyards, and refurbishing it for the Ukraine to use. There are a few instances of the US doing these rapid turn around conversions of existing Ukrainian equipment such as when Ukrainian MiGs and SUs were outfitted to fire HARM missile (a weapons integration that in normal peacetime takes two years was done in 45 days, not perfect but works good enough). But, obtw, the Ukraine builds a lot of innovative small drones on their own, developed the Neptune missiles used to sink the Moskva and came up with ways to turn old Russian recce drones into cruise missiles so they are not just sitting there with their hands out.
UChosePoorly
DT - and Ukraine is making their own 152mm shells as well:
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/ukraines-locally-produced-artillery-shells-have-reached-the-front
Yrral
DT,why do the US just go into Russia and remove Putin from power,that would be the logical,instead of the half butt strategy of killing Russian in Ukraine, everyone no the US is behind targeting Russian in Ukraine,target them in Russia instead,instead of an half butt approach
Blacklabel
Yeah I remember those days long long ago when confirmed corruption was actually inexcusable and disqualifying.
now it’s supposedly just whining about something unimportant.
UChosePoorly
The Pentagon decided against that once it became apparent that you would complain unintelligibly about that too, Larry.
wallace
Displaced Ukrainians mean 5-7 million who have left the country and those who were forced to leave their homes but remain in the country.
RichardPearce
PS, Russia was supposed to be toast last year when the US decided to sanction it for persisting in trying to preserve international law that the US didn't like.
The IMF recently UPGRADED the projected growth in the Russian economy to higher than its projected growth in the economies of those providing weapons to destroy that international law.
tooheysnew
huh ?
Ukrainian soldiers are killing Russian soldiers, & Wagner terrorists & Chechen TikTokers are killing Russian soldiers
tooheysnew
the US is going to send more weapons to help Zelensky & Ukraine kick Russia out of their country.
you don’t like the idea of other countries supporting Ukraine in their fight with an invading country do you ?
Mark
Give them all you got.
rainyday
True. Lucky for the Ukrainians that they aren't fighting one.
Stephen Chin
Let the world hope that, after more than 25 years in power in Russia, Putin's career is now running on its last legs. And he knows it. And that is the reason why he attacked Ukraine. To prove to himself that his legs can still run. Why he has stopped taking pics of a bare-chested Vladimir riding his horse in Siberia? And why has he stopped taking pictures of immersing himself in a freezing water hole? And videos of his Black Belt victories ? And why his devoted wife divorced him years ago? Why? Let the world now hope that after more than twenty five years in power in Russia, Vladymir Putin's career is now running on its last legs.
Rodney
Russia doesn’t operate HIMARS which have killed the majority of Ukrainian civilians. Same as cluster bombs etc. please study reality.
Desert Tortoise
You make it sound like it is something the US could easily do, it's oh so simple, but you ignore that such a move is a blatant act of war. The US does not want to go there.
ok1517
Give Ukraine everything needed to protect Ukraine's freedom.
This should be tanks, missiles and more!
Don't give PUTAin any chance to prolong this war.
Kick those Russian marauders out of Ukraine, incl. all temporarily occupied areas!
Ukraine prevails!
Superlib
Let's make them pay for each inch
In the past you supported sending arms to Ukraine. Was corruption just whining and unimportant to you then?
Desert Tortoise
Stop. Were does this nonsense come from. HIMARs are not killing Ukrainian civilians. Russian artillery and missiles are what are killing Ukrainian civilians.
cenobite
At the beginning of the war, as soon as Russia hit civilians with artillery, Ukraine should have been given artillery and rockets to eliminate those civilian-killing Russian positions. Thankfully, they got them eventually, but it was a bit late. They also should have been given a fleet of fighter jets at the start. Thankfully, the fighter jets should arrive soon. And after that, a fleet of bombers, if necessary. Whatever it takes.
Nemo
It’s actually just a face-saving way to carry water for a fascist without openly declaring oneself to be “fascist-curious.”
cenobite
I’m from Europe and I live in Japan. Sure, I’m not fighting, but this is my war the Ukrainians are fighting, as much as it is theirs. If you live in Japan or Europe, the outcome of this war will have a profound effect on your well-being, either way. So if the Ukrainians are brave enough to fight for all of us, give them more weapons!
UChosePoorly
The Russians are killing Ukrainians and so we need to help the Ukrainians. We would help Serbia too if Russia ever invades them. It's what we do.
fallaffel
It's more naive to think that appeasement is a better option.
UChosePoorly
Amen. The Bear should be careful not to wake the Sleeping Giant.
UChosePoorly
Awa - do you really think Putin is looking for an excuse to declare war on the West? More likely he is hoping that we lose interest and stop supporting Ukraine in their defense, but he doesn't know us, you see.
tooheysnew
Many here don’t care, but The west does care, which is why they are supplying them with whatever they need to win this war.
and not like The Budapest Memorandum of 1994, where Russia had no intention of respecting Ukraine’s independence.
and what or how exactly did Ukraine weaponise ?
most of their current weapons were donated by the west or taken from Russia after they invaded
wallace
Putin is the cause of suffering for Ukrainians, Europeans, and many in the world today.
Yrral
DT,the Russian know Ukrainain do not have the technical knowledge to target them,without technical assistance from the US,using satellite to kill Russian,either the Russian are insecure of the US or waiting inkind to strike America at their choosing,
Yrral
U, Ukrainain are killing Ukrainain too , even helping Russian inside Ukraine targeting Ukrainain
UChosePoorly
There are traitors in every country, including the US, so tf what?
englisc aspyrgend
Absolutely, as soon as russia’s army of rapists and child killers and other associated scum are swept away, peace will assuredly prevail.
No one is going to fall for the lying russian propaganda aimed at freezing the war they are losing while they rearm for a further attack under the guise of negotiating a peace they have no interest in. Poo tin still holds to and keeps reiterating his maximalist goal of the complete eradication of Ukraine, its people, language and culture.
Yrral
U,their are not million of American traitors in America,like their are in Ukraine,10 percent of the Ukrainain population, support Russian invasion of Ukraine
Blacklabel
no its actually a way to speak about confirmed corruption and why that is bad for every place and every situation but this one, somehow.
Antiquesaving
Here is an interview with an Australian fighting for Ukraine with explanation of what and where this are.
https://youtu.be/EJ8i6Jix5uw
Interesting as to where are all the weapons sent to Ukraine?
UChosePoorly
You two should just admit you want Russia to win. It's pretty obvious.
UChosePoorly
three
Seapig
Ukraine wasn’t attacked by a superpower, it was Russia.
Putin certainly didn’t think this one through very well, did he!
Yrral
U, Ukrainain fate was sealed almost, 1 year ago by an corrupt government in Ukraine
wallace
Here is an interview with a Russian officer fighting for Russia in Ukraine before he deserted and left the county in fear for his life.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64470092
1glenn
Putin kills civilians with missiles fired from hundreds of miles away, but the Ukrainians aren't allowed to have anything that goes more than 47 miles? Hardly seems fair, or logical. Upping their arsenal with 100 mile missiles will mean that all occupied territory except Crimea can now be targeted, and the Russians have fewer places to hide.
Desert Tortoise
Au contraire, the Ukraine Army is using locally produced drones in highly innovative ways to find and target Russian forces for destruction. If anything it is the armies of NATO learning many new things from the Ukraine Army. They have proven exceedingly good at locating and destroying Russian forces without NATO help.
Desert Tortoise
Late March, early April Russian Army will be worn out and in a state of collapse. Remember I told everyone here the Ukrainians would put up a fight not unlike the Finns did when Russia tried invading them in 1939. The fanbois and the two Bs both laughed. I was right. Now I'll repeat what I wrote before Christmas that by the end of the winter the Russians will be spent and with western armor, a lot more former Russian armor (both equipment captured from the Russians and old Russian equipment refurbished and donated by former Warsaw Pact nations) plus the additional artillery being sent the Ukrainian Army will be on the move retaking their lands from the Russians. The Ukraine Army has whole battalions going through training in Germany on advanced tactics, NATO tactics. They will return to fight soon with the new equipment. By spring the situation on the ground in Ukraine will look very different. Now have your fun voting me down but we'll revisit this in April.
UChosePoorly
DT - prediction noted, thanks for putting it out there. Predictions are hard, especially about the future :)
RichardPearce
The US is very eager to help not just break, but void UNSC 2202.
There's one thing that stopped them for most of a decade, Ukrainian resistance to those like Zelensky.
Last year, it became 2 things, Ukrainian resistance and Russian bravery.
Will it become 3 things this year? Quite possibly.
UChosePoorly
Blacklabel - just admit you want Russia to win.
deanzaZZR
War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.
Peace will prevail.
cleo
There will be peace when Putin withdraws his troops from Ukrainian territory and stops killing Ukrainians. All it takes is one word from him.
Why Putin not going home?
Antiquesaving
For those making up all the bravado stuff the claims of more Russian dead over Ukrainian.
Etc...
Here is the full interview of an Australian volunteer in the Ukrainian army, the guy is pro Ukraine the interviewer is a pro Ukrainian YouTuber, note the parts where the Australian soldiers says it was the Ukrainian forces not Wagner that lost thousands.
Note were he points out his unit has lost 80% casualties.
Not where he describes what happens to Ukrainians refusing to fight.
" Best case prison, but sent to the front to be killed or shot"
Again this is a PRO UKRAINE YouTuber.
https://youtu.be/PKZpYglZrW4
Cards fan
Thank you for pointing out how important it is for Ukraine to continue to get the weapons it needs to defend itself.
tooheysnew
those traitors don’t tend to live very long - boom !
do they have a choice ?
The alternative is being shot by Wagner terrorists or Chechen tiktokers, who are standing behind them preventing any retreat.
if Putin withdraws his army back to Russia, there will be peace.
Abe234
I guess with the Minsk agreement, brokered by Germany, and France really didn’t learn from their every own history of appeasement. We signed the Budapest treaty where in return for Ukraine, gave up its nukes and we would guarantee it’s security. Russia, China, UK, France, Russia all signed up to. Russia shoots down an airliner and we didn’t do anything and then Crimea ,was invaded. More appeasement! More chances for Russia. Russia wants more. So the choice is, throw Ukraine under the bus? Or let Russia win? Or more appeasement. Ironically it was the complete defeat of The Nazis that returned europe to peace. I believe it is the same here.
Desert Tortoise
Vladimir Putin as isolated himself and surrounded himself with yes men. There was nobody in his trusted circle of advisors willing to contradict him, or point out weaknesses in his plans. I believe that is still the case btw.
Desert Tortoise
In US law the penalty for refusing to report for duty when drafted is $250,000 and five years in prison. That law is still on the books in the event the draft is re-instated and is not predicated on the nation being at war for it to apply.
Jimizo
What do you think Ukraine should settle for?
Be precise.
wtfjapan
Ukraine is going to get hammered over the next couple of months despite foreign weapons and that’s guaranteed
where have you been the last year theyve already been hammered , so much so that Russia is runnung low on it cold war ammunition. yet Ukraine is still there. Now when those weapons arrive they can detroy more Russian targets and soldiers, thats Guaranteed
Ego Sum Lux Mundi
Apparently in clown world, surrender now means success! The neocons are still practicing their insane word magic as they try to convince Russia to let them surrender Ukraine without openly admitting that they have lost their proxy war on Russia:
Russia isn’t going to accept this offer or even use it as a point to begin negotiations, because they already tried negotiating with the West with the Minsk Accords of 2014 and 2015. But, as Angela Merkel and other Western leaders have publicly admitted, the agreements were a sham from the start, and were only intended to buy Ukraine more time to prepare its defenses.
Various Russian leaders have stated that both the USA and Ukraine regimes are now “non-agreement capable” and they are absolutely correct to have reached that conclusion, as Clown World’s leading neocons are still making plans to win a war that was not only unwinnable from the start, but has already been lost.
Because what they really need to prepare for is success, you see!
This isn’t, yet, quite Hitler in the bunker giving orders to nonexistent divisions levels of delusion while the Red Army tanks are just a couple of blocks away, but they’re observably getting closer to that level of delusion. And, of course, the word magic failed. Russia simply said: No deals. I find it particularly interesting that they went out of the way to mention Victoria "Nukeland" Nuland’s name. I think they’re making it clear they know perfectly well who is calling the shots in Washington:
The Russian Foreign Ministry has dismissed proposals issued this week in Washington by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Under Secretary, Victoria Nuland. Ministry spokesman Maria Zakharova has confirmed that Russia’s military plan for the Ukraine will not be interrupted or delayed.
The West’s desperation is observably increasing, as both China and Russia have gone largely silent. This leads me to suspect that both nations will make their next major moves in concert with each other. Exactly what those will be, we can only offer our best surmises, but it would not be surprising if both Ukraine and Taiwan are entirely lost to Clown World by the end of this year.
wallace
Putin's war.
To stop NATO and kill Nazis and protect Jews.
If Russia were to win and take over the whole of Ukraine, guess what the borders with NATO would increase.
ClippetyClop
It's not a proxy western war since the west didn't start it. You don't know what 'proxy war' means, go look it up.
What about Russia escalating by actually invading, annexing, mobilizing 300,000 men?
We see you clearly. You want one side to surrender and we know why you want them to surrender, and we know that you can't bring yourself to say why.