Lift the Restrictions and Let Ukraine Defend Itself | Opinion

Officials from the United States, France, and Germany recently stated that the Ukrainians could use some of their weapons to strike Russian military targets near the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv for "counter-fire purposes" only. The announcement was welcomed by many, but it was puzzling why it had taken Western officials so long to make the decision.

For nearly two and a half years, Ukrainians have been subjected to Russia's brutal and violent invasion. Thousands of Ukrainians have been killed. Numerous villages and towns have been destroyed. One-fourth of Ukraine's total population is displaced due to Russia's war.

When the war initially began, several Western news outlets believed that Ukraine would fall quickly to Russian forces. Many foreign leaders were hesitant to provide the Ukrainians with the weapons they needed to defend themselves from the onslaught of Russian troops, and several international observers watched the war anxiously.

Despite these pessimistic views, the Ukrainians stood their ground. The country did not fall to Russian forces, and Ukraine's capital was successfully defended. Several months later, the Ukrainians launched a successful counteroffensive. Within a matter of weeks, the Russians were forced out of northern Ukraine.

But time and time again, the international community has implemented self-imposed restrictions on Ukrainian forces to defend themselves. Some officials state these restrictions are implemented to avoid escalation with the Russians. Western leaders are attempting to mitigate risks with the Russian Federation and do not want to provoke Russian forces.

While the caution is understandable, it has resulted in the catastrophic loss of life throughout Ukraine. When the war began, Russia ordered the international community not to intervene in its invasion. Should countries opt to provide defense assistance to Ukraine, Russia stated there would be severe consequences. There was even the threat of using nuclear capabilities against the Ukrainians. Western leaders were slow to respond to the initial invasion, and thousands of Ukrainians died from ongoing missile strikes.

When the Ukrainians received high-caliber weaponry in the spring of 2022, several months after the war began, there were instances of change on the battlefield. By the end of 2022, Russians were forced out of northern and central Ukraine. The Ukrainians also began to gain ground in southern and eastern Ukraine. While Russia retaliated with additional missile strikes, there were no escalations in the war.

Then, in 2023, the Ukrainians expanded their defense efforts. They successfully destroyed one-third of Russia's Naval Fleet on the Black Sea. The Russian blockade on the Black Sea was defeated, and millions of citizens around the world began to have access to Ukrainian produce again, thus reducing food crises in Asia and Africa. In addition, the Ukrainians began to strategically target ammunition depots and weapons facilities within the Crimean Peninsula. At the time, Western countries opted not to provide Ukrainians with long-range missile capabilities, so Ukrainian authorities resorted to using drones to strike Russian installations within Russian territory. While effective, it took the Ukrainians more time to calculate and conduct these operations as they did not have long-range missiles to launch these attacks.

Several Western countries initially hesitated to commend Ukraine for its successes, fearing further escalation from the Russians. But heightened forms of aggression did not come. Similarly, numerous countries were hesitant to provide the Ukrainians with the American High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), defense equipment that would allow the Ukrainians to protect themselves from Russian attacks. Eventually, the Ukrainians received these capabilities, and nothing came from the Russian threats. In other words, the past two and a half years have shown the international community that Russia has been caught in a series of bluffs.

To date, the Russians have not launched a nuclear strike on Ukraine. They have not orchestrated attacks against NATO members or declared war on the global community. Even now, with the latest Russian attacks on Kharkiv, Western countries are only allowing Ukrainian authorities to strike military targets within Russia's borders near Kharkiv. Ukrainian officials have asked for Western authorities to lift additional restrictions on Russian military targets. So far, they have not been granted.

Ukraine is a country at war. It did not ask to be invaded by the Russian Federation, and it is seeking to defend itself from Russia's ongoing invasion. Continued limitations on the use of weapons, however, will limit how Ukraine can successfully protect itself from Russia's military incursion. If Ukrainian forces are unable to strike military installations, weapons factories, ammunition deposits, and energy infrastructure aiding Russia's war, then this only allows Russia to continue its war. These unaffected areas will allow the Russians to continue arming their operations, refurbishing their stockpiles, and striking residential areas in Ukraine. It will also lead to the additional loss of innocent civilian lives, leading to a deadlier war.

Lifting restrictions on Ukrainian efforts will allow the Ukrainians to do what is necessary to properly defend their homeland. They will be able to destroy the weapons facilities the Russians are using to equip their invasion force. The Ukrainians will target Russian military equipment used to conduct missile strikes on the country. Most importantly, this will allow the Ukrainians to defend their cities and their people from future Russian bombardments. The Russians will be unable to continue missile strikes if they do not have the equipment to orchestrate attacks.

The West should do everything possible to help preserve Ukrainian lives. Allowing Ukrainian authorities to strike Russian military targets by lifting restrictions would be an excellent place to start.

Mark Temnycky is an accredited freelance journalist covering Eurasian affairs and a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center. He can be found on X @MTemnycky.

The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.