Russia's military invasion of Ukraine continues.
Russian and Ukrainian forces are fighting in various parts of Ukraine, and many civilians have fled the country. We will update the situation in Ukraine on the 20th (Japan time), including the status of the fighting and diplomacy of the countries concerned.
(There is a 6-hour time difference between Japan and Ukraine and Moscow, Russia)
ATACMS provided by the United States: "Expansion of number and range" Ukrainian Foreign Minister
The Ukrainian military is believed to have attacked airfields in eastern and southern Ukraine occupied by Russian forces with ATACMS, a long-range surface-to-surface missile provided by the United States, and destroyed helicopters and ammunition depots.
Some ATACMS have a maximum range of 300 kilometers, but leading U.S. newspapers say that about 20 missiles were provided and had a range of about 160 kilometers.
On the 19th, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba thanked the United States for its gratitude to local media and stated, "From now on, we will discuss the expansion of the number and range," and indicated that he would request the provision of ATACMS, including those with a longer range.
Regarding the F-16 fighter jets seeking support from the Western side, he said, "They will arrive when pilot training is completed and infrastructure is developed," and predicted that the provision of fighter jets will be in the first half of next year at the earliest.
On the other hand, the British Ministry of Defense said on the 19th that Russian Deputy Prime Minister Husnulin announced that the repair of the bridge connecting Russia and Crimea in southern Ukraine was completed ahead of schedule on the 14th of this month, and pointed out that "it remains a very important bridge for Russia in maintaining the occupation of Crimea and its military power in southern Ukraine."
However, while the Ukrainian side is aiming to recapture it, we analyze that the existence of the bridge is a major security burden for Russia, such as the deployment of air defense systems.
Ukrainian Armed Forces "Destroy Electronic Warfare Equipment of Russian Army" Video Released
On the 19th, the Ukrainian military released a video on SNS claiming to have destroyed the electronic warfare equipment of the Russian army in the fierce battle zone of Bakhmut in the east.
In the video, antennas and other equipment installed on the roof of the building were damaged by Ukrainian drones, and black smoke can be seen.
The Russian military is engaged in electronic warfare that uses jamming to disrupt the command and control of the Ukrainian military and affect the flight of drones.
This electronic warfare system has also been pointed out as one of the factors that has delayed the reversal offensive of the Ukrainian army.
The Ukrainian military posted a message along with the released footage, stressing that "we know how to counter the enemy's electronic warfare, we found an antenna of equipment that was jamming Ukrainian communications and destroyed it with a drone."