Kharkiv under attack
Russian battlefield gains in Ukraine have prompted a new approach from the Biden administration on where and how Ukraine can use U.S.-supplied weapons on targets within Russia.
In response to Russian advances, such as the country's recent seizure of nearly 100 square miles near Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, President Joe Biden has authorized Ukraine to use certain U.S. weapons on military bases and infrastructure inside Russia's border.
Kharkiv has come under intensified attacks over the past month as Russia opened a new front in its offensive operations. Until now, the U.S. had imposed limits on the use of weapons systems it supplies, forbidding Ukrainians to hit targets inside Russia, allowing Russian to continue striking the city from within the relative safety of its own territory, according to the Institute for the Study of War. But following shifts in Russian advances, the U.S. has authorized a major shift in American policy that comes with the risk of further escalation in the war that has raged for more than two years.