The latest infusion of American funding will go towards more “high-mobility” battlefield rocket launchers (HIMARS), 155-mm Howitzers, and 75,000 155-mm artillery rounds. Here Marines load a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) July 2022. Photo: Patrick King
This week the Ukrainian army continued to push back Russian troops in southern and eastern Ukraine. The Ukrainian offensive is largely taking place in territory Putin and the Russian government falsely consider to be part of Russian national territory. On Wednesday, October 5, Putin signed laws declaring four Ukrainian territories claimed by Russia to be officially part of that country. As Revolution wrote recently, Putin has vowed that “In the event of a threat to the territorial integrity of our country and to defend Russia and our people, we will certainly make use of all weapon systems available to us. This is not a bluff.” “All weapons systems” means nuclear bombs. As if to underscore this, the Italian daily La Republica reported the mobilization of the Russian nuclear submarine Belgorod, which carries Poseidon nuclear missiles. Then, on Friday, an explosion—generally attributed to Ukraine—blew out part of a major Russian bridge connecting Crimea with Russia. This may well make it significantly harder for Russia to resupply its troops.
How far and for how long the Ukrainian military will be able to continue its offensive depends in part “on weaponry and ammunition, much of it coming from the United States,” as the Washington Post reported. The same day, Putin signed the annexation laws, Biden announced that the U.S. is sending $625 million worth of additional military equipment to Ukraine (bringing to $16.8 billion the military aid the U.S. has already sent this year). This latest infusion of American funding will go towards more “high-mobility” battlefield rocket launchers (HIMARS), 155-mm Howitzers, and 75,000 155-mm artillery rounds. Biden also reaffirmed to Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, that the U.S. would never recognize Russia’s claimed annexations of territory the United States regards as Ukrainian.
There is a lot of speculation in the Western media about how Russia will respond if they are driven entirely out of Ukraine. Putin has vowed that the territories it claims will be part of Russia “forever.” The U.S./NATO side says it will never accept that. And despite Putin’s call for negotiations in his major September 29 speech, there has been no indication whatsoever that either side is seriously seeking a way out other than the defeat of its imperialist opponent.