(Dan Tri) – The West is stepping up the sending of long-range missiles to Ukraine, weapons that can put a series of high-value Russian targets within attack range.

US ATACMS missile (Photo: AFP).

According to Business Insider, NATO countries are speeding up equipping Ukraine with highly accurate long-range missiles so that Ukraine can use them to attack airports, naval headquarters, bridges and other valuable targets.

Missiles provided by the West help Ukraine significantly increase its firepower and strike deeper behind Russian lines.

Former US military officers told Business Insider that long-range missiles could help Kiev strike targets important to Russia’s combat operations, while also making Moscow’s combat and support forces `uncomfortable.`

Ukraine has been facing intense Russian attacks in recent times, but long-range weapons can help hinder Moscow’s efforts.

Ben Hodges, a retired lieutenant general and former commander of US Army Europe, said Ukraine could `hunt` for Russia’s command headquarters and logistics system, the `brains` behind the attacks.

The US last month transferred to Ukraine a number of MGM-140 ATACMS missiles with an attack range of 300km, each worth 1.3 million USD.

Jake Sullivan, US national security advisor, said at the end of April that the US would send more ATACMS to Ukraine after the country approved a $61 billion aid package.

ATACMS has many different versions.

Afterwards, Ukraine reportedly received ATACMS attacks 300km away.

Also in April, Britain announced to send Ukraine additional Storm Shadow cruise missiles in the largest military aid package in more than 2 years.

France also sent a similar variant of Storm Shadow called SCALP-EG to Ukraine.

In addition, British Defense Minister Grant Shapps revealed that Italy has also provided Kyiv with Storm Shadow cruise missiles.

These air-dropped missiles can fly at low altitudes to avoid detection and have been used to attack Russian naval headquarters and weapons depots in the Crimean peninsula.

Experts say that missiles with an attack range of 150km to 300km could prevent Russia from placing important weapons at a distance of at least 160km from the front line.

In addition, logistics nodes, transport railways, weapons depots, command headquarters, and Russian air defense systems can all be targeted by Ukraine with long-range missiles.

However, according to experts, the effectiveness of long-range weapons depends on how many missiles of this type Ukraine receives.

On the other hand, except for Britain, Ukraine is still bound by its allies to fire these missiles into Russian territory.