Whatever the merits of this US policy before the Russian assault on Kharkiv Oblast began, it should be modified immediately to reflect the urgent realities of the current situation.
— George Barros (@georgewbarros) May 13, 2024
Russian aircraft can strike Kharkiv City indefinitely without ever leaving the sanctuary of Russian airspace. Kharkiv City lies 40 kilometers from Russia’s international border with Ukraine. Russia’s glide bombs have a glide range of 40-60 kilometers. pic.twitter.com/D7rS4nestt
— George Barros (@georgewbarros) May 13, 2024
The Russian Air Force can strike wide swaths of Ukraine uninhibited so long as the Russian Air Force continues to leverage Russia’s airspace sanctuary. The Russian Air Force can strike no fewer than 𝟖𝟔𝟗 settlements in Kharkiv Oblast without ever leaving Russian airspace.
— George Barros (@georgewbarros) May 13, 2024
The Russian Air Force can strike about 42,400 square kilometers - 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐚 𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 - of Ukrainian-controlled territory in Chernihiv, Sumy, and Kharkiv oblasts without ever leaving Russian air space
— George Barros (@georgewbarros) May 13, 2024
The Russian military is exploiting its sanctuary space to shield Russian ground forces from Ukrainian attacks before marshaling them into Ukraine.
— George Barros (@georgewbarros) May 13, 2024
The US can take steps to equalize the battlefield and increase Ukraine’s odds of defeating Russia’s Kharkiv operation by eliminating its prohibitions on the use of US-provided weapons against Russian forces imminently threatening Ukraine from Russian territory.
— George Barros (@georgewbarros) May 13, 2024
This sanctuary shields hundreds of known military objects, including ammo depots, fuel depots, warehouses, motor pools, command posts, repair bases, permanent unit headquarters and their organic facilities and assets, radar bases, barracks, communication posts, air bases, etc.
— George Barros (@georgewbarros) May 13, 2024
Reevaluating Russia’s sanctuary is not an all or nothing affair. Standing US prohibitions on how Ukrainian forces may use US-provided weapons will not prevent Western weapons from striking Russia.
— George Barros (@georgewbarros) May 13, 2024
territory with UK-provided weapons. Ukraine has long struck legitimate targets in Russia with any weapons it can and will continue to do so.
— George Barros (@georgewbarros) May 13, 2024
Neither Russia nor any other state has the right to view its sovereign territory as inviolable in a war of aggression that it has begun. Establishing the principle that nuclear-armed states can earn such inviolability through threats of escalation encourages other such...
— George Barros (@georgewbarros) May 13, 2024
Preventing Ukraine from using all the resources at its disposal against a renewed cross-border invasion makes no sense.
— George Barros (@georgewbarros) May 13, 2024
