Drone airfields, invasion staging posts & Putin’s beloved bridges…EXACT targets Kyiv will aim to blitz with US missiles

UKRAINE will aim to blitz dozens of key potential targets inside the Russian territory using Western long-range missiles to turn the war around.

These include strategic military bases, airfields and some morale-boosting targets like Putin's beloved bridges inside Russia-occupied Crimea and the Kursk region.

With an impressive range of 190 miles, the US-supplied ATACMS missiles could strike deep into Russian territory.

It means Kyiv could not only potentially hit frontline targets between Belgorod in the east to Odesa in the south, but also strike areas far inside Russia.

This includes regions as far as Rostov, Voronezh and Rostov.

With the long-due missile ban now finally lifted, Volodymyr Zelenksy would be looking to target key drone airfields, military air bases and even Putin's beloved bridges that could hamper the Russian military movement.

However, it is understood that for now Ukraine is only allowed to use these missiles inside the Kursk region - one of the key battlegrounds in the war where North Korean troops have been deployed to support Moscow.

And the first long-range attacks could be launched within the coming days, insiders say.

Colonel Hamish de Bretton-Gordon told The Sun how Zeklenksy would allocate all his resources into making the most use out of the US-made ATACAMS.

The former British army chief told The Sun: "He would spend all his time and effort into making sure that these critical weapons are targeted at the right place.

"[And] I'm sure, it will begin with [trying to] hold back Kursk.

"Kursk is an absolute dagger to the heart of Putin. What is happening there [with North Korean troops] at the moment is critically important to the Russians."

Zelensky is now expected to blast the Kursk region with the US-made long-range guided missiles, which experts say can hit targets accurately.

Alan Mendoza, executive director of the Henry Jackson Society, said Ukraine would try to obliterate the Russian military transportation systems and forces that are far away from the frontlines inside the Kursk region.

He told The Sun: "What you're looking at is stopping the other side from being able to firstly reach the front line and secondly, fight effectively if they do reach the front line.

"We're talking about knocking out transport infrastructure to show they can't actually get there. We're looking at targeting forces a lot further away from the front line on their way to the front line.

"We're looking at bases being hit as well and crucially, air power being nullified by the ability to strike, you know, kind of places where the planes are taking off from.

"So there's a whole set of things you're looking that directly impact on Russia's ability to a supply the front line.

"These are not simply in terms of men, but it might also be in terms of material and supplies, and all the other things. You need to keep an army going as well as trying to make a dent in Russia's fighting capabilities."

While it is not clear how deep Ukraine will be allowed to attack using the ATATCMS missiles, Zelensky could now aim to hit many strategic targets that are now under the radar.

This includes Crimea - one of the most strategic and relatively safe locations that the Russians have been using to obliterate Ukraine.

Putin poured in billions of dollars when he occupied the Black Sea peninsula in 2014 - turning the chunk of land into a designated military logistics base.

The region is also home to Russia's Black Sea fleet and has key military infrastructure including six air bases, command-and-control centres, and arms depot.

Experts have dubbed Crimea - which is equipped with air-defence radars and anti-missile systems to protect the facilities - "an unsinkable aircraft carrier".

Ukraine has in the past attacked Crimea with drones - and has tried to destroy Putin's beloved Kerch Bridge. The £3billion bridge links Crimea to the Russian mainland.

Another region that Zelensky could try and target using these long-range missiles is Donbas - where the Russians have been making slow but steady territorial gains.

Colonel Hamsih told The Sun: "Ukraine will try and take out the command and control nodes in regions where they are struggling like Donbas.

"The airfields in Crimea are also fully in range now that has been are supporting Russian attack son Ukraine,

"We may even see the Ukrainians try and drop the Kerch Bridge - although militarily that is not a significant target politically it would be.

"The key thing is to get on the front foot, and I'm sure that is exactly what Zelensky and his team would be planning

"They've shown to be very canny and very able people at fighting, and [ATACMS] is a key part of the armoury they've been asking for.

"Now see them use it to great effect."

Joe Biden's bombshell decision to lift the missile ban could be a significant turning point in the conflict.

It marks a major escalation in the war and is "significant in terms of the end game", according to a former senior Nato official.

But the Kremlin warned today that the use of such missiles would be deemed a declaration of war.

Until now, Biden had been against any escalation that he believed would draw the US and other Nato members into direct confrontation with Russia.

But he could have been prompted to give his blessings to use the rockets after Kim Jong-un sent thousands of troops from Pyongyang to fight in Kursk.

And it could now pave the way for the UK to follow suit and give the green light for its feared Storm Shadow missiles to be used to blast inside Russia

DECLARATION OF WAR

But Putin's quivering puppets have warned the West that the use of long-range Nato missiles by Ukraine would be seen by the Kremlin as a declaration of war. 

Putin’s spokesman made clear Moscow was watching closely after reports in the US that Biden has given Kyiv permission for ATACMS strikes on Russian territory. 

Mouthpiece Dmitry Peskov referred to Putin’s earlier statements in St Petersburg when he indicated such a move could trigger a third world war. 

He said: "We have, of course, paid attention to the relevant publications, which [are] without reference to any official sources.

"And here the position of our President, the position of the Russian side, was very clearly and unambiguously formulated by our Head of State in his statement that he made in St Petersburg…. 

 "It says everything very clearly. I simply recommend that you read these words of the President once again."

'NEW ROUND OF TENSION'

Peskov was asked: “Is there any expectation in the Kremlin that with Donald Trump already in office, this decision [to fire US long-range missiles at Russian soil] could be reconsidered?”

The spokesman said: “If such a decision has indeed been formulated and communicated to the Kyiv regime, then, of course, this is a qualitatively new round of tension.

“And a qualitatively new situation in terms of US involvement in this conflict.

“I guess that's what we're primarily proceeding from.

“And most importantly, I repeat once again, our position here should be absolutely clear to everyone, and it is clear to everyone.

“These signals were read by the collective West for everyone, and they were voiced by the president in St. Petersburg.”

Putin’s other mouthpieces also issued apocalyptic warnings.

BACKING FROM PYONGYANG

It comes as Kim Jong-un could be readying 100,000 troops to help pal Putin's stalling war in Ukraine.

The North Korean despot has already sent 10,000 of his soldiers to be flung into the battleground as Putin looks to claw back Kursk

Despite warnings his troops could be used as "human shields", Kim could be prepared to deploy as many as 100,000 more to help flailing Putin's army, sources say.

Putin and Kim have been cosying up on the world stage - and insiders believe if their ties deepen, Pyongyang could be prepared to aid Vlad more.

Sources familiar with assessments made by some Group of 20 nations say North Korea may dispatch as many as 100,000 troops, Bloomberg reports.

Batches of troops could be rotated over time rather than been hurled into the meatgrinder in a single deployment, it is understood.