The Institute For The Study Of War (ISW) has said allowing Ukraine to use Western air defence systems against targets in Russia is crucial to if Kyiv is going to repel Russian glide bomb and missile strikes against Kharkiv.
Following President Biden's partial lifting of restrictions on how Ukraine can use military supplies sent by the US, Kyiv can now use American weapons to strike inside Russia.
Eleven other Western countries have also recently partially or completely lifted restrictions on Ukraine's use of Western-provided weapons to strike military targets in Russian territory.
"These policy changes will allow Ukrainian forces to use Western-provided systems to strike Russian firing and staging areas in Russia's border areas and airspace," according to the ISW.
"Ukrainian officials reported that Ukrainian forces downed a number of Russian military aircraft in February 2024, many of which were conducting glide bomb strikes in the Avdiivka direction.
"Ukrainian forces' ability to down Russian military aircraft in a frontline area indicates that Ukrainian forces will likely be able to replicate the same effects with both Ukrainian and Western-provided systems to protect northern Kharkiv Oblast and Kharkiv City from Russian glide bomb strikes launched from Russian airspace. "
President Zelenskyy has previously said that Russian forces would not be able to seize Kharkiv City if Ukrainian forces received two Patriot air defence systems to deploy to the region.
According to the ISW, deployment of these defence systems would have limited effectiveness, were they not able to strike targets in Russian airspace.
