Ukraine reportedly launches British-French Storm Shadow missiles into Russia for the first time

Ukraine Reportedly Fires British-French Storm Shadow Missiles at Russia for the First Time

Ukraine launched British-French-made Storm Shadow missiles at targets inside Russia for the first time on Wednesday, according to reports from a Russian military blog and Reuters. This follows Ukraine’s deployment of US-made ATACMS missiles against Russian targets just a day earlier.

An anonymous official confirmed to Reuters that Ukraine had used the UK-supplied missiles to strike Russian territory. British media outlets also reported on the incident, citing unnamed sources. However, during a news conference, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov declined to confirm or deny the missile strikes. Similarly, the UK Ministry of Defense did not comment when asked by CNN, and the French Ministry of Defense has yet to respond.

When questioned about the use of Storm Shadow missiles, Umerov stated, “We are using all the means to defend our country... We’ll not go into detail. But we are just sending [a message] that we are capable and able to respond.” He added, “We’ll be defending and giving punches back… with all the means available.”

A Russian military blogger shared photos on Telegram allegedly showing fragments of a Storm Shadow missile in the village of Marino, located about 35 miles from the Ukrainian border in Russia’s Kursk region. The blogger claimed that up to 12 missiles were fired in the area. Weapons expert Trevor Ball, a former US Army explosive ordnance technician, reviewed the images for CNN and confirmed the fragments were from a Storm Shadow missile. However, CNN could not verify the timing or location of the photographs.

Ukraine has not officially acknowledged the use of ATACMS or Storm Shadow missiles. On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky highlighted the country’s growing long-range strike capabilities, including domestically-produced drones and Neptune cruise missiles. “We now have ATACMS, and we will use all of this,” Zelensky said.