Ukrainian officials are expressing thanks for $61 billion in new U.S. military aid, even though the supplies aren’t expected to have an immediate impact on the battlefield. Ukrainian troops have faced acute shortages of shells and air defense systems as political quarrels in Washington held up the aid for months. That has enabled Russian forces to edge forward in some parts of eastern Ukraine. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the key now is speed. He urges quick deployment of the hardware that Kyiv expects to receive in the coming weeks and months.

U.S. officials say Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles, striking a Russian military airfield in Crimea and Russian troops in another occupied area overnight. The strikes come about a month after the U.S. secretly provided the weapons so Ukraine could strike targets up to 190 miles away. One U.S. official says the delivery of the Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS, was approved by President Joe Biden in February, and then in March the U.S. included a “significant” number of them in a $300 million aid package announced. The official says the U.S. is providing more in the latest aid package.

The names of thousands of people held in Japanese American incarceration camps during World War II have been digitized and made available for free on Ancestry. The genealogy company announced Wednesday it is collaborating with the Irei Project, which has been working to memorialize more than 125,000 detainees. Ancestry is known as one of the largest global online resources of family history. Researchers with the Irei Project say it’s an ideal partnership because the project’s researchers were already utilizing Ancestry. Out of over 60 billion records Ancestry holds, nearly 350,000 have been found to be relevant. People will be able to look at more than just names and delve into a bigger story for each person.

A new package of $61 billion in U.S. aid may prevent Ukraine from losing its war against Russia. But winning it will be a long slog. The aid approval means Ukraine may be able to release artillery ammunition that it has been rationing. The difference could be felt within days on the front line. That may help slow Russian troops, who are taking territory against massively outgunned Ukrainian forces. And the new aid will buy Ukraine time for long-term planning about how to turn the tide. Many military experts believe that neither Ukraine nor Russia is capable of mounting a major offensive until next year. But Russia is pushing forward along the front line, and Ukraine says it desperately needs artillery ammunition and air defenses to counter the assaults.