According to military expert Christian Mölling, the cruise missiles supplied by Great Britain will change the war in Ukraine. With the “Storm Shadow” missiles, Russian supply routes are achievable targets.
Long-range cruise missiles supplied by Britain will change the war in Ukraine, according to military expert Christian Mölling. Mölling says in the stern podcast “Ukraine – the situation” that the Ukrainians could use the “Storm Shadow” type cruise missiles to attack the Russian supply routes, especially railway lines. This will make it more difficult to supply the troops with ammunition, fuel and food and thus improve the Ukrainian offensive’s chances of success. “It’s also a logistics war,” said the research director of the German Society for Foreign Relations.
“Storm Shadow” can hit Crimea
In addition, the missiles, the delivery of which the British government confirmed on Thursday, could also hit targets in Crimea. “Russia has to protect itself against this threat,” says Mölling, adding that this changes all of the calculations.
The cruise missiles have a range of more than 250 kilometers – and thus belong to a category of weapons that Ukraine has long sought. For a long time, however, the West was very reluctant to respond to the request, fearing that the conflict would escalate if the missiles were also used to attack targets in Russia.
Missiles alone do not decide war
Mölling sees a clear change in the prospects for the expected Ukrainian offensive. At the same time, however, he makes it clear that the missiles alone would not decide the war. “It’s not a silver bullet either,” he says. The cruise missiles reached a speed of less than 1,000 kilometers per hour. It’s entirely possible to shoot them down. In addition, it is unclear how many systems Great Britain provides.
.
Mölling sees the Ukrainian successes in the long-fought Bachmut as more of a local event. They are “not part of the large coordinated offensive”. Rather, the Ukrainians “seized the opportunities offered by the Russians.” However, losses of land are politically sensitive, since Bachmut has achieved such a high symbolic importance.
Tensions in the Kremlin?
As a potential threat to President Vladimir Putin’s power, Mölling cites tensions between the parts of his ruling and violent apparatus – for example between private mercenary troops, the regular army and secret services. “If this balance gets out of control, things could actually get tight for Putin, too,” said Mölling.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
