US President Joe Biden has approved a policy change that will allow Ukraine to use US-provided weapons, including GMLRS missiles, but not longer-range ATACMS missiles, to strike Russian territory near the Kharkiv Oblast border.
This is stated in the daily analysis of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Ukraine's European allies continue to announce their support for allowing Ukraine to use Western-supplied weapons to strike military targets in Russia.
It is unclear how far in Belgorod Oblast the US is allowing Ukrainian forces to strike with US-supplied weapons, and whether Ukraine will be allowed to strike Russian forces and equipment in Kursk and Bryansk Oblasts.
However, Russian military targets outside the immediate border area with Kharkiv Oblast are also legitimate military targets, and continued restrictions on Ukraine's ability to strike targets in other parts of Russia impede Ukraine's ability to defend itself against Russian aggression.
Russia still enjoys a certain sanctuary where the Russian military can shut down military forces before they get close enough to Kharkiv or enter other parts of Ukraine.
Russia will continue to seize every partial opportunity as long as Western countries continue to impose restrictions on Ukraine's ability to defend itself.
ISW continues to believe that the US should allow Ukraine to strike all legitimate military targets in Russia's operational and deep rear with US-supplied weapons.
Ukrainian military officials have reported that Russian forces are shifting forces to northern Kharkiv Oblast from other sectors of the front line, indicating that the Russian military continues to prioritize efforts to attract and contain Ukrainian forces in northern Kharkiv area.
French officials said they may soon announce that France is sending military instructors to Ukraine.
Western countries continue to make efforts to increase the production and supply of artillery to Ukraine.
NATO member states do not have sufficient air defense capabilities to protect Alliance members in Central and Eastern Europe in the event of a full-scale attack.
On May 30, the Russian government approved a package of amendments to the Russian tax code that will introduce a progressive income tax scale from 2025, thereby marginally shifting some of the financial burden of Russia's long-running military effort in Ukraine on the rich Russian elite.
Russian President Vladimir Putin continued to make efforts to overcome the ongoing demographic crisis in Russia as part of the domestic political initiative "Year of the Family" 2024.
Russian peacekeeping forces in the Russian-backed breakaway republic of Transnistria in Moldova are reportedly conducting a month-long unauthorized inspection of their armored vehicles and may carry out further provocations in the coming months.
Ukrainian forces have recently advanced in the Volchansk area, and Russian forces have recently advanced in the Chasov Yar, Avdeevka and Donetsk city areas and in the eastern (left) bank of Kherson Oblast.
Russia has formed a new unnamed airborne (Airborne) regiment based in occupied Crimea, which is currently operating in the Zaporozhye sector.