Ukraine launches UK cruise missiles to Russia
21/11/2024 6:16
Ukraine fired a volley of
British Storm Shadow cruise missiles into Russia on Wednesday,
the latest new Western weapon it has been permitted to use on
Russian targets a day after it fired U.S. ATACMS missiles.
The strikes were widely reported by Russian war
correspondents on Telegram and confirmed by an official on
condition of anonymity. A spokesperson for Ukraine's General
Staff said he had no information.
Moscow has said the use of Western weapons to strike Russian
territory far from the border would be a major escalation in the
conflict. Kyiv says it needs the capability to defend itself by
hitting Russian rear bases used to support Moscow's invasion,
which entered its 1,000th day this week.
Accounts of Russian war correspondents on Telegram posted
video they said included the sound of the missiles striking
Kursk region, which borders northeastern Ukraine.
At least 14 huge explosions could be heard, most of them
preceded by the sharp whistle of what sounded like an incoming
missile. The video, shot in a residential area, showed black
smoke rising in the distance.
The pro-Russian Two Majors channel on Telegram said Ukraine
fired up to 12 Storm Shadows into the Kursk region and carried
pictures of missile pieces with the name Storm Shadow clearly
visible.
A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer
declined to comment.
Britain had previously allowed Ukraine to use Storm Shadows,
which have a range in excess of 250 km (155 miles), within
Ukrainian territory.
The Kyiv government has been pressing Western partners for
permission to use such weapons to strike targets deep inside
Russia, and it obtained the all-clear from U.S. President Joe
Biden to use the ATACMS this week, two months before Biden
leaves office.
As Ukraine's use of the missiles raised tensions, the United
States shut its embassy in Kyiv on Wednesday as a precaution due
to what it called the threat of a significant air attack. It
later said the embassy would reopen on Thursday.
The Pentagon on Wednesday also announced $275 million in
military aid to Ukraine that included more ammunition for the
HIMARS rocket system, and the Biden administration moved to
forgive $4.7 billion in U.S. loans to Ukraine as outgoing
officials sought to do what they could to bolster Kyiv before
they leave office.
ANTICIPATING TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
Biden's successor, President-elect Donald Trump, has said he
will end the war, without saying how, and criticised billions of
dollars in aid for Ukraine under Biden. The warring sides
believe Trump is likely to push for peace talks - not known to
have been held since the war's earliest months - and are trying
to attain strong positions before negotiations.
Kyiv says Moscow, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022,
has previously taken advantage of limits on Ukraine's use of
weapons, particularly to strike Ukrainian cities from the air
with heavy guided bombs.
Western countries say the arrival of more than 10,000 North
Korean troops to fight for Russia in recent weeks was an
escalation that merited a response.
The first use of the U.S. ATACMS on Tuesday, fired at a
Russian arsenal in the Bryansk region on Ukraine's northern
border, prompted firm words from Moscow, which announced a
change to its nuclear doctrine to lower the threshold for the
use of atomic weapons. Washington has said it sees no need to
adjust its own nuclear posture and accused Moscow of resorting
to irresponsible rhetoric.
Military analysts have said the longer-range missiles are
unlikely to give Ukraine a decisive edge in the war but could
strengthen its position, especially in the battle for a sliver
of land inside Russia's Kursk region it seized in August.
An air raid siren in Kyiv in the early afternoon on
Wednesday jangled nerves. But Ukraine's military spy agency said
a widely reported threat of massive drone and missile attacks
across the country was fake, and it accused Russia of trying to
sow panic by circulating online messages about it.
"The enemy, unable to subdue Ukrainians by force, resorts to
measures of intimidation and psychological pressure on society.
We ask you to be vigilant and steadfast," it said.
With the U.S. embassy's temporary closure, the Italian,
Spanish and Greek embassies said they too had closed their doors
in Kyiv. Canada said it suspended in-person services at its
mission. The French embassy remained open but urged its citizens
to be cautious. The Kremlin said it had no comment.
Russian foreign intelligence chief Sergei Naryshkin said in
an interview published on Wednesday that Moscow would retaliate
against NATO countries that facilitate long-range Ukrainian
missile strikes against Russian territory.
The war is at a volatile juncture, with nearly a fifth of
Ukrainian territory in Russian hands, North Korean troops
deployed in Russia's Kursk region and doubts over the future of
Western aid under Trump, whose nominees for administration posts
include sceptics of support for Kyiv.
On Sunday, Russia staged a missile and drone strike on
Ukraine's national power grid that killed seven people and
renewed fears over the durability of the hobbled energy network.
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