The United States fears that recent Ukrainian drone strikes targeting Russian nuclear early warning systems could dangerously alarm Moscow as the Biden administration weighs whether to lift restrictions on Ukraine's use of US-supplied weapons for attacks in Russia.
This was reported by The Washington Post, citing US officials.
"The United States is concerned about Ukraine's recent strikes on Russian ballistic missile early warning sites," said a U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
Washington has conveyed to Kyiv its concern over two attempted attacks in the past week on radar stations that provide conventional air defence and warnings of nuclear launches from the West.
"These facilities were not involved in supporting Russia's war against Ukraine," said a US official, "but they are sensitive facilities because Russia may feel that its strategic deterrent capabilities are being targeted, which could undermine Russia's ability to maintain a nuclear deterrent against the United States.
U.S. officials said they were sympathetic to Ukraine's plight, with administration officials actively weighing whether to lift restrictions on the use of donated weapons for strikes on Russian territory. But if Russia's early warning capabilities were blindsided by Ukrainian attacks, even partially, it could damage the strategic stability between Washington and Moscow, the U.S. official said.
Instead, a Ukrainian official with knowledge of the situation told The Washington Post that Russia used the radar sites to monitor Ukrainian military activities, including Kyiv's use of air weapons such as drones and missiles. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine was responsible for the strikes.
The Ukrainian official said that the strikes were aimed at reducing Russia's ability to track Ukrainian military activities in southern Ukraine. The drone that targeted the radar station near Orsk, in Russia's Orenburg Region along Kazakhstan's northern border, travelled more than 1,800 km, a record for the distance.