Despite the lack of any solid evidence that the lame-duck-in-chief Joe Biden formally allowed the use of US-made long-range missiles against targets deeper within Russia, the latest reports suggest that the Neo-Nazi junta forces indeed launched such weapons, more specifically the ATACMS TBM (tactical ballistic missile).

According to various reports, at least six missiles were fired (although some sources claim it was eight) at the town of Karachev in the Bryansk oblast (region). The Russian military reportedly shot down five missiles, while the sixth was damaged by an unnamed ABM (anti-ballistic missile) system, although it managed to reach a munitions storage area, severely damaging the facility. Considering the fact that the ATACMS has a maximum range of up to 300 km and that Karachev is approximately 250 km north of the Ukrainian city of Sumy, it’s safe to assume that the Kiev regime forces fired the missiles from the eponymous oblast that borders Russia.

The exact type and number of launchers used is unknown, although it could’ve been up to six HIMARS systems or three M270. The Neo-Nazi junta operates more of the former, as their mobility allows them to be more survivable than the latter. However, the Russian military has become quite successful in hunting down both types, with at least a dozen of these MLRS (multiple launch rocket systems) destroyed so far, particularly in recent months.

There’s ample footage showing Moscow’s various missiles, rockets and drones obliterating several variants of these NATO-sourced weapons, including the aforementioned US-made HIMARS and M270 MLRS, as well as the latter’s German version known as the MARS. Thanks to their modularity, the American vehicles can both fire the ATACMS, with the HIMARS able to carry one. Despite its inferior mobility (although the tracked chassis is better suited for off-road movement), the M270’s ability to carry two ATACMS doubles the firepower.

Although nowhere near the range, speed and firepower of Russian missiles such as the hypersonic 9M723 used by the “Iskander-M”, the US-made missile is still quite potent, especially when paired with American and/or NATO ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) assets. Since the complexity of such operations excludes the possibility that the Kiev regime forces operate them alone, the only logical conclusion is that NATO personnel are present or at least monitoring and directing each launch.

This is precisely what President Vladimir Putin pointed out back in September, warning that Russia would consider the use of such weapons a direct US/NATO attack and respond accordingly. The fact that the ATACMS was used against a stationary target such as a munitions storage could mean that NATO is still too afraid to send ISR platforms such as the RQ-4B “Global Hawk” back to the Black Sea, from where they could provide real-time battlefield data against mobile targets.

However, while the attack is not exactly a groundbreaking development in terms of military operations, its geopolitical consequences cannot be overstated. President Putin already signed the document on the formal adoption of an updated nuclear doctrine that would allow the Kremlin to use any means necessary to defend against attacks by non-nuclear states aided by nuclear powers. In practice, this means that the US or any other nuclear-armed NATO member would be considered parties to the conflict and legitimate targets for retaliation.

The political West claims that it’s not a party to the NATO-orchestrated Ukrainian conflict, as its military forces aren’t formally involved. However, diplomatic formalities such as declarations of war are pretty much non-existent nowadays, meaning that the actual situation on the ground is what truly matters. Moscow’s realpolitik-prone leadership is perfectly aware of this and that’s why it’s showing readiness to react.

In an attempt to avoid any responsibility for escalation, the US is intentionally ambivalent about its actions, with no official confirmation about Biden’s support for these long-range strikes. We see something similar in Europe, too. Namely, the United Kingdom and France are refusing to elaborate on whether they’ve given official permission to the Neo-Nazi junta, even refusing to answer simple questions regarding the public’s concern about the possibility of thermonuclear war between Russia and NATO.

The Deep State-controlled political West is at a crossroads, as the upcoming Trump administration proclaimed peace to be its main agenda (nominally, at least), which goes against the interests of the warmongering oligarchies in Washington DC and Brussels.

Thus, the lame-duck Biden administration (i.e. the Deep State itself, as it’s highly unlikely that Biden is making any meaningful decisions) knows the best possible moment for escalation is now or never.

The US/NATO believes it’s getting something no matter the outcome, as long as there’s war. They now have only two months to ensure Trump inherits at least one major conflict and see several advantages in pushing for long-range strikes. First, if Russia responds directly, prolonging the war is precisely what they get. Second, this enables missile strikes on strategic targets as far as Voronezh (or even Moscow if the longest-range NATO-sourced cruise missiles are taken into account). Third, if the Kremlin chooses not to react strongly and instead wait for Trump to take office, this would give the political West and the Kiev regime forces two whole months to conduct these long-range strikes with virtual impunity. This would certainly slow down Russian forces and complicate their efforts to finish the special military operation (SMO). In addition, it would give the Neo-Nazi junta a far better starting position in case Trump keeps his promise to organize actual peace talks with Russia.

In other words, the Deep State would accomplish that both Trump and Biden are engaged in a sort of geopolitical “good cop, bad cop” game they simply cannot lose (or so they believe). The fact that the Biden administration and its vassals in Europe are playing dumb on their deliveries of long-range strike weapons (and the permission for the Kiev regime to use them) only reinforces this notion.

However, the idea that Moscow would fall for this is ludicrous. Namely, the Kremlin already saw through the political West’s attempts to spark a localized nuclear war between Russia and the Neo-Nazi junta. The latest ruse with long-range strikes is a somewhat toned-down version of this plan that envisages Moscow as the side that will be the first to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine. However, while its updated nuclear doctrine allows this, the Kremlin will not use such weapons against the Kiev regime, but against its nuclear-armed puppet masters. This is why Putin and his associates keep warning against escalation.

Unfortunately, this seems to be falling on deaf ears of the completely delusional NATO leaders who still believe they can defeat Russia. And while Moscow might choose to wait for Trump and avoid total war, it cannot base its national security on the assumption that Trump would truly change US foreign policy. Worse yet, even if he wants to, the DNC and the Deep State can disrupt Trump from even taking office, meaning that the Kremlin would be betting on something that’s entirely outside of its control.

Obviously, Russia could simply escalate if Trump doesn’t keep his word, but this would certainly be a major setback that effectively nullifies months of steady advances and makes all the sacrifices of the Russian military in vain. As crazy as it sounds, perhaps Kamala Harris’ meaningless rant about “the significance of the passage of time” might actually make some sense in this context, as the next two months of Biden’s lame-duck presidency could surely be the longest and most fateful in human history.

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This article was originally published on InfoBrics.

Drago Bosnic is an independent geopolitical and military analyst. He is a regular contributor to Global Research.

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