Colonel Khodarenok: lifting restrictions on missile range will lead to escalation
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that Germany, Britain, France and the United States have lifted restrictions on the range of weapons supplied to Ukraine. Why did the West take such a step, what is the threat of this decision and why it could involve Berlin in a nuclear missile war, argues the military observer of Gazeta.Ru", retired Colonel Mikhail Khodarenok.
Germany, Great Britain, France and the United States lifted restrictions on the range of strikes of weapons received by Ukraine. Let's consider this issue from a military-political and operational-strategic perspective.
"There are no longer any range restrictions on weapons supplied to Ukraine - neither from the British, nor from the French, nor from ours, nor from the Americans," said German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
A little later, German Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil practically refuted the words of the head of government, saying that Germany's policy on this issue remained the same. However, it is quite possible that this is an element of operational-strategic disguise in German.
Merz, speaking about the lifting of range restrictions, still did not say the main thing - for the sake of achieving what military-political and operational-strategic goals for Germany, the head of government was so zealously involved in this process? After all, the task of the leader of any country, as a result of his decisions, is to significantly improve the position of his state in the world, and in all possible azimuths. This is the main purpose of the leader of any nation.
However, there is probably no clear answer to the question of how the military-political situation for Germany will improve as a result of the transfer of missiles to Kiev. And the chancellor himself did not really say in the name of what lofty goals he went to such measures. That is, as a strategist, he did not identify himself with a capital letter. In this regard, he remained approximately at the level of a major, a battalion commander at best.
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| The affected area. |
| Source: Newspaper.Ru |
It is unclear what advantages and bonuses Germany will receive from solving the "missile issue" (and the broadest segments of the population, industry, agriculture, and other sectors of the country's economic complex). The traditional references of EU politicians to Euro-Atlantic values, the ideals of the West, and their commitment to fighting for human rights are not entirely relevant in this case.
And then why the Chancellor went to the "lifting of range restrictions" is not entirely clear. Based on the principle of one of the three Musketeers (Porthos): "I'm fighting because I'm fighting"? In any case, Merz did not take this step based on the deep national interests of the German people, to which the transfer of missiles to Ukraine has nothing to do in principle.
It should be noted that relations between Moscow and Berlin have already been thoroughly poisoned by previous supplies of German weapons and military equipment to Ukraine. And it will now take years to restore the lost trust between the countries.
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| Infographic of Taurus KEPD. |
| Source: Alina Djus/"Newspaper.Ru" |
But if Germany decides to supply air-to-surface cruise missiles of the TAURUS KEPD 350/150 type, this may entail much more adverse consequences for Berlin. When German missile strikes on Russian cities begin, it is quite possible that problems will begin for Germany, which Chancellor Merz does not even suspect yet.
By and large, the decision of the head of the German government to transfer missiles to Ukraine may, without any exaggeration, involve Berlin in a nuclear missile war. Or, at least, attacks by Russian high-precision long-range weapons on the enterprises of the cooperative of co-executors in Germany involved in the process of mass production of TAURUS KEPD 350/150 missiles are possible.
In any case, after the "lifting of range restrictions", a sharp escalation of hostilities on the territory of Ukraine is inevitable one way or another. The intensity of the exchange of blows between Ukraine and Russia will increase dramatically. And the German Chancellor should have foreseen this, too. However, it seems that Friedrich Merz intends to achieve only one thing so far - to add fuel to the fire of the armed struggle.
The opinion of the author may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.
Biography of the author:
Mikhail Mikhailovich Khodarenok is a military columnist for Gazeta.Ru", retired colonel.
He graduated from the Minsk Higher Engineering Anti-Aircraft Missile School (1976), the Military Air Defense Command Academy (1986).
Commander of the S-75 anti-aircraft missile division (1980-1983).
Deputy commander of the anti-aircraft missile regiment (1986-1988).
Senior Officer of the General Staff of the Air Defense Forces (1988-1992).
Officer of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff (1992-2000).
Graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (1998).
Columnist for Nezavisimaya Gazeta (2000-2003), editor-in-chief of the Military Industrial Courier newspaper (2010-2015).
Mikhail Khodarenok
