KYIV, July 7 - Ukrainian troops are now allowed to use their new American-supplied Javelin anti-tank missiles anywhere in the country and against any party, including against Russian tanks in its eastern Donbas region, as long they do so for purposes of defending themselves, CNN reported.

This revelation follows the Ukrainian Army's disclosure that it is preparing to send Javelin-equipped units to the front lines soon, The Drive reported. Ukrainian authorities also recently said that they estimate Russia has at least 481 tanks of various types in Donbass, among other heavy weapons.

"US officials tell CNN that there are no no [sic] geographic restrictions on where Ukraine can deploy the US-supplied Javelin anti-tank missiles as part of the terms of the agreement under which the US-made Javelins where [sic] provided to Ukraine as long as the weapons are used 'defensively,'" CNN's Ryan Browne wrote in his post on Twitter on Tuesday.

The missiles will still offer Ukrainian troops on the front lines a major boost in firepower. The Javelin is an extremely capable man-portable anti-tank guided missile that also has a demonstrated capability against troops behind cover and even low and slow-flying aircraft and helicopters.

The Ukrainian Army first received a batch of the missiles, also known as FGM-148s, in 2018. U.S. President Donald Trump's administration delayed the delivery of a second tranche of them until late 2019, which developed into a major scandal and the President's impeachment.

It had been reported in the past that, under the terms of the export agreement with the U.S. government, the Ukrainian Army could only employ these missiles against Russian forces in the event of an overt invasion westward from Donbas.

Troops can employ the weapon in one of two modes, one which fires the missile directly at the target and another in which it executes a pop-up maneuver before diving down onto the target. The latter method is particularly valuable for hitting the top of tanks, where they are typically most vulnerable, even with additional defenses, such as active protection systems, as well as other targets tucked away behind hard cover.

Lieutenant General Ruslan Khomchak, the Chief Commander of Armed Forces of Ukraine, said that the next rotation of Ukrainian Army brigades headed to the region would be equipped with these missiles in an interview that ArmiaInform published earlier this month.

It's possible that the presence of the missiles, combined with ambiguity over the limitations on the use, might serve as a deterrent to Russia employing its heavy armored forces, at least to some degree. As such, the Javelins could have an impact on the fighting without ever being fired. (td/ez)