Ukraine has for the first time used British Storm Shadow missiles to strike deep into Russia, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, with reference to unnamed officials. According to the report, the attack was in response to the deployment of North Korean troops in Russia’s war against Ukraine, the move that has been perceived as Kremlin’s escalation of the conflict.
Ukraine’s attack on Russia with the British-Franco long-ranged and air-launched Storm Shadow missiles came two days after Kyiv struck Russia’s Bryansk region with US-made ATACMS long-range missile. The Monday attack on ammunition depot in Bryansk marked the first case of the use of long-range missiles on Russian territory.
Joe Biden on Sunday allowed Ukraine’s use of US-supplied long-range missiles in attacks deep into Russia two months before president-elect Donald Trumps inauguration. The United Kingdom made no such announcement about permission to use British long-range missiles in attacks into Russia. A spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Wednesday his office would not be commenting on operational matters. Earlier, the UK allowed Kyiv to use such missiles only within Ukraine’s territory.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had long been urging his western allies to allow Ukraine strike Russia with long-range missiles in order to “motivate” the Kremlin to seek peace. Biden’s decision on long-range missile prompted Vladimir Putin to revise Kremlin’s nuclear doctrine, making it easier to use these weapons.
