The evolving conspiracy between the West, Ukraine, and Russia is slowly reaching points of reality that reporting media and some politicians can grasp. Let's not confuse it with the truth. We are taking baby steps here like when just recently Boris Johnston said "West in 'proxy war' with Russia. 

29 Nov 2024 - West in ‘proxy war’ with Russia – Boris Johnson

“The problem has not been escalation; the problem has been the failure to escalate fast enough. It has been the dithering, the delay, and the nickel-and-diming of the [support] measures,” he said, lamenting the gridlock in the US Congress in late 2023 and early 2024 which prevented aid from flowing to Kiev. “That was a nightmare for Ukraine,” he added.

The same was true for the initial reluctance to approve Ukrainian strikes deep into Russia using British, French, and US-made long-range missiles, Johnson claimed, noting that Germany is still resisting pressure to make a similar move.

“It has been pathetic… Let’s face it: We’re waging a proxy war but not giving our proxies the ability to do the job. For years now, we’ve been allowing them to fight with one hand tied behind their backs, and it has been cruel,” Johnson stated.

https://www.rt.com/news/608384-west-proxy-war-russia-johnson/

There is no conspiracy to see here as back in May 2023 the U.S. was treading carefully with language and the approved use of U.S. weapons could not be used in Russia.

25 May 2023 - Latest in Ukraine: US Emphasizes It’s Not at War With Russia

"I can say that we have asked the Ukrainians not to use U.S.-supplied equipment for direct attacks into Russia,” Milley said. “This is a Ukrainian war. It is not a war between the United States and Russia. It’s not a war between NATO and Russia.”

https://www.voanews.com/a/us-emphasizes-it-s-not-at-war-with-russia-/7110006.html

Going by Milley's comments in the above story 'Latest in Ukraine: US Emphasizes It's Not At War With Russia' Biden authorizing Ukraine to use long-range missiles would suggest the U.S. is indeed at war with Russia

18 Nov 2024 - Biden authorizes Ukraine to use long-range US weapons in Russia

The decision to allow the use of the Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, inside Russia had been under consideration for months. American officials had been divided on the wisdom of allowing the new capability. Some had concerns about escalating the war, while others worried about dwindling stockpiles of the weapons.

The US refused to even provide ATACMS to Ukraine for the first two years of the war, in part because of readiness concerns as the powerful missiles require time and complex components to produce. But Biden secretly approved the transfer of the long-range ATACMS missiles in February for use inside Ukrainian territory, and the US delivered the missiles in April.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/17/politics/biden-authorizes-ukraine-missiles-russian-targets/index.html

Atacms are ballistic missiles guided by GPS with most likely U.S. intelligence, firing solutions, and U.S. personnel in the background somewhere as required to operate a complex weapon system.

21 Nov 2024 - Atacms: What we know about missile system Ukraine has used to strike Russia

The Army Tactical Missile System is a surface-to-surface ballistic missile capable of hitting targets at up to 300km (186 miles). This longer range makes them particularly important for Ukraine.

Built by the defence manufacturer Lockheed Martin, the missiles are fired from either the tracked M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) or the wheeled M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (Himars). Each one costs around $1.5m (£1.2m).

Atacms (pronounced “attack-‘ems”) are fuelled by solid rocket propellant and follow a ballistic path into the atmosphere before coming back down at a high speed and high angle, making them difficult to intercept.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2nrlq1840o

Putin made comments on the premise that flight assignments for these missile systems can, in fact, only be entered by military personnel from NATO countries. Ukrainian servicemen cannot do this. While US officials claimed that Ukraine could assign targets without the direct participation of the U.S. or NATO.

13 Sept 2024 - Putin says NATO will be "in the war" if U.S. or allies let Ukraine fire long-range missiles at Russia

"Flight assignments for these missile systems can, in fact, only be entered by military personnel from NATO countries. Ukrainian servicemen cannot do this. And therefore, it is not a question of allowing the Ukrainian regime to strike Russia with these weapons or not. It is a question of making a decision whether NATO countries directly participate in the military conflict or not," Putin said in response to a question on Thursday.

"If this decision is made, it will mean nothing less than the direct participation of NATO countries, the United States, and European countries, in the war in Ukraine," the Russian leader added.

U.S. officials told CBS News that Ukraine could assign targets without the direct participation of the U.S. or NATO.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/putin-nato-ukraine-war-us-long-range-missiles/

In terms of what a legitimate military target is in the minds of politicians and the public, the wiki might offer some insights.

Legitimate military target - Wiki

A legitimate military target is an object, structure, individual, or entity that is considered to be a valid target for attack by belligerent forces according to the law of war during an armed conflict.

Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions, Article 52, provides for the general protection to protected persons, hindering attacks to military objectives in a war between two or more belligerents. Article 52 states,

In so far as objects are concerned, military objectives are limited to those objects which by their nature, location, purpose or use make an effective contribution to military action and whose total or partial destruction, capture or neutralization, in the circumstances ruling at the time, offers a definite military advantage.

Any attack must be justified by military necessity: an attack or action must be intended to help in the military defeat of the enemy, it must be an attack on a military objective,^[1] and the harm caused to protected civilians or civilian property must be proportional and not "excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legitimate_military_target