Welcome back to another edition of My Take 5, your weekly roundup of international news. This week we are focussing on 1,000 days of the Ukraine war, Sri Lanka’s parliamentary elections, the struggle for Bangladesh’s national vision and Modi’s vital trip to Nigeria. So let’s get to it.
Biden gives Ukraine a boost: After months of asking for it, Ukraine finally got what it wanted – permission to use US weapons to strike deep inside Russia. The Biden administration finally gave the green light that will allow, as per reports, Ukrainian forces to use the US-made Army Tactical Missile Systems or ATACMS to target Russian military assets far away from the active frontline. The missile, which has a range of up to 300km, is expected to be used by the Ukrainians in the Kursk theatre.
In fact, Ukrainian forces are preparing to face a massive assault by Russian and North Korean troops – reportedly numbering around 50,000 – in Kursk as Moscow tries to retake this territory that Kyiv temporarily occupied and holds on to till date. Washington actually cited the deployment of North Korean troops by Russia in Kursk as the main reason for lifting the restrictions for Kyiv. However, as this goes to Press, reports are emerging of Ukraine carrying out its first ATACMS strike inside Russia against military targets in the Bryansk region.
But will it change the dynamics of the war? It certainly will help Kyiv. There is a range of military targets that Ukrainian forces can now technica.
