Call For Long-Range Strike Permission Grows After Deadly Kharkiv Attack

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has renewed calls for Western powers to allow Ukraine to use long-range ballistic missiles to hit targets deep inside the Russian Federation following a series of missile/glide-bomb strikes on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv today. The Guardian reports, "Five people were killed, including a 14-year-old girl, in a Russian strike on Kharkiv. At least 40 were wounded in the attack, Kharkiv’s regional governor, Oleh Syniehubov said.

In a separate attack on another area of the city, at least three were killed by a strike on a high-rise building. Syniehubov said on Telegram that there were a total of five strikes on the city".

• Zelenskyyposts on X "This strike was carried out using a Russian guided aerial bomb—a strike that could have been prevented if our Defense Forces had the capability to destroy Russian military aircraft at their bases. We need strong decisions from our partners to stop this terror."
• The US, UK, and Germany - the three nations supplying the bulk of long-range missiles to Ukraine - have so far maintained their stances that they can be used against Russian forces in Ukraine, but not to strike deep into Russian territory.
• With strikes such as today's on Kharkiv, apparently directly targeting civilians, the pressure for Ukraine's allies to change their stances will only grow.