MOSCOW, August 17 (RIA Novosti) - The use of ballistic missiles in Luhansk suggests that Ukrainian security officials have carte blanche from the United States to take any actions, said Deputy Chairman of the Duma Committee on Defense Franz Klintsevich.
"This suggests that the Ukrainian security forces have been granted carte blanche from the Americans. They do not care what Russia says, what the international community or even Europe says today. They got their carte blanche, and while it remains active they want to deal with the situation in Donetsk as quickly as possible," Klintsevich told RIA Novosti.
By using ballistic missiles, the Ukrainian military goes to extreme measures that will harm civilians first of all, the lawmaker noted.
"First, it’s a very large charge, a huge explosion. Thus it’s more of a psychological weapon that would inflict maximum damage, primarily at the civilian population," Klintsevich said.
A ballistic missile flies at a distance of about 200 kilometers (124 miles), but lacks accuracy, which means that “they [the Ukrainian military] won’t always be able to hit the military facilities and the nearby vehicles. So, when they are shooting at a locality, civilians will be harmed,” the lawmaker said.
Earlier the same day, Kiev-led forces attacked Luhansk with Tochka-U ballistic missile systems, Rossiya-24 television reported, citing a source in the militia forces.
The basis of Tochka-U is a single-stage ballistic missile that can be controlled throughout the flight. It can carry nuclear and chemical charges, as well as ordinary high-explosive shells. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, a certain amount of launchers, auxiliary equipment and missiles remained in several former Soviet republics, about a hundred of them in Ukraine.
Moscow has repeatedly voiced its concern over reports of Ukraine’s government troops using ballistic missiles against independence supporters in the country’s east.