Freed From Restraints, Ukraine Is Poised to Strike Into Russia

Ukraine on Monday welcomed a decision by the Biden administration to allow long-range strikes inside Russia with American-provided missiles, with President Volodymyr Zelensky suggesting that the first launches would come soon and without warning.

Ukrainian officials have long argued that firing at targets deeper inside Russia would unshackle the country’s military from restraints that have prevented it from effectively taking the fight to Russia.

American officials said the missiles were likely to be deployed, at least initially, against combined Russian and North Korean troops in territory Ukraine has captured in the Kursk region of southern Russia. The addition of up to 10,000 North Korean troops to Moscow’s war effort this fall has alarmed the United States and European nations, who view it as widening the war by drawing Russian allies directly into the ground combat.

The North Korean presence appeared to be what persuaded the White House to shift its stance on long-range missiles after months of resistance.

Mr. Zelensky, in his nightly address to the nation on Sunday, suggested there would be no warning of the first launches.

“Blows are not inflicted with words,” he said. “Such things are not announced. The rockets will speak for themselves.”