France points to AFU's inability to strike Russia without Western help

The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) cannot use Western long-range missiles to strike Russian territory without Western support on the ground. This was reported by the French newspaper Le Monde on November 25, citing sources.

According to the newspaper, British long-range cruise missiles Storm Shadow and French SCALP should be pre-programmed before being loaded onto Su-24 bombers of the Ukrainian Air Force.

The newspaper did not specify what exactly "Western support on the ground" means.

Strip it down to "Oreshnik": Putin supported the adoption of the missile system into service

At a meeting with the developers, the president called this complex a guarantor of Russia's security

Back in June, Russian President Vladimir Putin pointed out that the Ukrainian military cannot independently dispose of Western weapons. These tasks are overseen by Western advisers, such as those from the United States and the United Kingdom.

On November 17, The New York Times reported that U.S. President Joe Biden authorized Ukraine to use U.S. long-range missiles to strike Russia. Afterward, on November 21, Russian Ambassador to London Andrei Kelin said that the UK was directly involved in the Ukrainian conflict. According to him, missile launches are impossible without British NATO personnel.

On the same day, Vladimir Putin issued a statement noting that Ukraine had used Western long-range weapons on military facilities in the Kursk and Bryansk regions. He also announced a combined strike by a medium-range Oreshnik ballistic missile on the Yuzhmash production complex located in Dnipropetrovsk.

Western countries have stepped up military and financial support for Ukraine amid Russia's special operation to defend Donbass, which began on February 24, 2022. The decision to hold it was made by the Russian president because of the aggravation of the situation in the region due to the increased shelling by Ukrainian troops.