Kiev: Ukraine has allegedly used UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles for strikes deep into Russian territory for the first time, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, citing a Western official familiar with the matter.
The United Kingdom has approved the use of Storm Shadow missiles in response to Russia deploying North Korean troops in the Ukraine conflict, a person, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the news agency.
The Times reported earlier on Wednesday, citing senior UK government sources, that the United States has lifted its objections to Ukraine’s use of Storm Shadow missiles.
On Tuesday, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Ukraine fired six ATACMS ballistic missiles at Russia’s Bryansk Region. This was preceded by reports that outgoing US President Joe Biden after months of deliberations gave a green light for Ukraine to use US-supplied missiles for strikes deep into Russian territory. Le Figaro initially reported that France and the UK had also allowed Ukraine to use their long-range weapons to attack Russia but later removed this information from its article.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the move as escalatory and pointed to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s position on long-range strikes against Russia. Putin said in September that potential use of long-range Western weapons by Kiev would change the nature of the conflict in Ukraine, forcing Russia to respond to emerging threats.
UNI SPUTNIK
