Ukraine Responds to Rebels' Air Defense Weapons

Ukraine may have responded to eastern rebels' use of air defense systems with a logical weapon: short-range tactical ballistic missiles. On July 29, unidentified U.S. officials told CNN that Ukrainian forces had employed these munitions against separatist forces in the Donbass region. Ukraine initially denied using the missiles, saying that it does not possess missiles with a range of 500-1,000 kilometers (310-620 miles). However, the government neglected to mention tactical short-range ballistic missiles with ranges shorter than 300 kilometers; Kiev subsequently admitted to owning them but did not confirm using them. If the allegations are true, the missiles would represent a natural evolution of the conflict rather than an escalation.