Ukraine secured two significant long-range missiles from its NATO allies in the last two years. These missiles enabled the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) to conduct long-range precision strikes inside Russia and shift the tactical dynamics of the war. The embattled country may now be poised to receive a third such game-changer weapon from a key European ally.
France and the UK were the first to heed calls to arm Ukraine with long-range strike capability in the summer of 2023. They armed Ukraine with Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG missiles. The missiles neutralized Russian positions far behind the frontline, disrupting logistics and forcing the redeployment of resources.
A year later, the United States joined the bandwagon and approved the delivery of Ukraine’s most sought-after long-range missile, the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), last year.
Ukraine has used the ATACMS in conducting multiple high-value attacks, including on supply chains and command centers.
Less than a year later, there is an indication that Ukraine could finally get the one missile that remained out of its reach: the German Taurus.
When asked by German public broadcaster ARD if he would supply Ukraine with Taurus missiles, the incoming German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he would authorize it if it were part of a bigger package approved by European allies.
“This must be jointly agreed. And if it’s agreed, then Germany should take part,” the German Chancellor noted. He also reportedly told the broadcaster that Ukraine could use the long-range Taurus missile to hit the Kerch Bridge and other Russian military infrastructure in the occupied Crimean Peninsula. The Kerch Bridge connects mainland Russia to Crimea, which was annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014.
“If things continue as they are, if, for example, the most important land connection between Russia and Crimea is destroyed, or if something happens on Crimea itself, where most of the Russian military logistics are located, then that would be an opportunity to bring this country strategically back into the picture finally,” Merz said.
Earlier, the Olaf Scholz government kept refusing Ukraine’s requests for the missiles to avoid offending the Russian leadership and avoiding escalation.
In March last year, the incumbent German Chancellor Olaf Scholz contended that Taurus missiles could not be deployed without German soldiers and that Germany was not ready to risk escalation by sending its troops to Ukraine.
Merz, on the other hand, has regularly voiced his support for supplying Ukraine with Taurus, even long before he was elected. In his recent interaction, the incoming German Chancellor did not give specific details on a potential delivery of Taurus to Ukraine. There is also no clarity on whether the future coalition partners from the Social Democrats will back the move.
KEPD-350, or Taurus, is an air-to-surface missile jointly developed by Germany and Sweden. It is equipped with stealth technology, making it less prone to detection. It is powered by a turbofan engine and has an official range of up to 500 kilometers. The missile is also equipped with electronic and self-defense countermeasures.
The high-precision stand-off guided missile can penetrate air defenses and destroy hardened military targets and deeply entrenched underground targets.
Taurus missiles are designed for precision strikes on heavily fortified and underground targets while keeping the aircraft safe from enemy air defenses.
With their accuracy and standoff range, these missiles provide optimal protection for both the crew and the aircraft. This explains why the Ukrainian administration has been urging Germany to authorize their delivery.
With reports suggesting that the Ukrainian stockpile of ATACMS missiles is running dry, the delivery of Taurus missiles to Ukraine would come as a big boost to the beleaguered country, especially since the war has taken an unpredictable turn with the Trump administration negotiating a ceasefire with Vladimir Putin. Moreover, Russia has launched a fresh offensive to gain territory in Ukraine’s Sumy and Kharkiv regions.
However, Russia has already started to mount pressure on the incoming German Chancellor. Responding to his comments, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Merz’s remarks made it clear that he would support a “tougher position” that “will inevitably lead only to a further escalation of the situation around Ukraine.”
Meanwhile, dealing with a scarcity of long-range weapons needed to weaken Russia, Ukraine might have developed a new weapon called Bars, a hybrid of a drone and a missile.
Ukraine Has A New Long-Range Weapon
Ukraine has reportedly developed a new drone missile dubbed Bars that can hit targets 800 kilometres away, deep into the Russian territory, as reported by the BBC, citing an unidentified source.
According to the report, Ukraine’s Minister for Strategic Industries, Herman Smetanin, mentioned the missile on April 11 at an event dedicated to Ukraine’s defense, along with other publicly unveiled weapons, including the drone-guided missiles Ruta, Palyanytsia, and Peklo (Hell).
The Minister said that in contrast to 2023, when Ukraine had only developed Neptune independently, the country managed to produce several new weapons in 2024.
“We could track this for a year. We have such cruise missiles and a class of fundamentally different drone missiles — Palyanytsia, Peklo, Ruta, Bars,” Smetanin said during the event. The Minister, however, revealed no information regarding the Bars system.
While most details remain shrouded in secrecy, likely for security purposes, informed sources cited by the BBC indicate that the system was developed by private manufacturers and not by the state-owned arms companies. According to the latest report, the weapon belongs to the class of so-called “winged “rocket drones.
These weapons are classified as a hybrid of a drone (most likely an aircraft type) and a traditional cruise missile. They have a small turbojet engine and a small warhead (generally between 50 and 100 kilograms), which enables them to travel great distances at high speed and makes them challenging targets for air defense. These “rocket drones” can be launched from aircraft and ground facilities.
An interlocutor for the BBC claims that the “Bars” missile is most comparable to the “Hell” missile, another Ukrainian member of this “family” in terms of its specifications.
The range of the “Bars” is approximately 700-800 kilometres, and the interlocutor characterized the weapon as a conventionally “Middle Strike”, that is, a medium-range weapon.
According to reports, one major advantage of this missile is that it could be produced in large numbers in Ukraine. This will allow the Ukrainian Defense Forces to soon have access to a rather potent and long-range weapon for frequent attacks deep within Russian territory.
EurAsian Times could not independently verify all these claims. However, Ukraine has made coordinated attempts to expand its missile and drone production. The Bars is expected to enter service soon to support deep strikes on Russian military infrastructure.
The final decision on Taurus, however, will be watched keenly.
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