British Defense Minister Wallace confirmed the transfer of long-range Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine The UK has sent Storm Shadow missiles to the Ukrainian military.
This was stated by the country's Defense Minister Ben Wallace. The export version of the weapon allows you to hit a target at a distance of 200-300 km, the maximum range of this type of missile is 560 km. The Kremlin said that the Russian military would give an appropriate "adequate response."
British Defense Minister Ben Wallace confirmed the transfer of long-range Storm Shadow cruise missiles to the Ukrainian army. He said this during a speech to members of the House of Commons of the British Parliament.
Wallace called the move "a measured and proportionate response to the escalation carried out by Russia."
According to him, the use of missiles with a strike range of 250-300 km (this corresponds to the export characteristics of Storm Shadow, the maximum radius of destruction of weapons is 560 km), "will allow Ukraine to push back Russian forces from the sovereign territory of Ukraine." Wallace did not discuss the details that relate to the supply of this type of missiles. He also confirmed that all the promised Challenger 2 tanks have entered service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Shortly before his statement, CNN said, citing Western high-ranking officials, that London had already handed over these missiles to Kiev. Storm Shadow allegedly went to Ukraine after the country's leadership assured its British colleagues that it would not use weapons to defeat targets in Russia, the TV channel reports.
The Kremlin, in response to reports about Storm Shadow supplies, said that the Russian Armed Forces would give their response.
"This will require an adequate response from our military, who, naturally, from a military point of view, will make appropriate decisions against this background," said Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the President of Russia.
Military expert Alexey Leonkov, in an interview with Izvestia, assessed the threat of supplies of long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine. According to him, they pose a "serious threat."
"Ukraine's promise that it will use it only on the territories that it considers its own does not stand up to any criticism. The missile is programmed for flight mode to the target that it will attack. It works on the principle of "shot and forgot," the specialist explained.
Leonkov recalled that earlier Storm Shadow was used on April 14, 2018 to strike Damascus, but it was shot down by the Buk anti-aircraft missile system. Also, the Tor SAM can be used against the missile. The expert believes that by transferring these weapons to Ukraine, the UK becomes a direct participant in the military conflict on the side of Ukraine.
At the end of April, the British Ministry of Defense announced that potential suppliers of "missiles with a range of 100-300 km of land, sea or air-based, with a payload [including the mass of the warhead] from 20 to 490 kg" can submit their applications to the department.
It was noted that, first of all, specialists will select weapons that are difficult to intercept, they have the ability to resist air defense forces and the effects of electronic warfare.
According to TASS, payments to suppliers were planned to be made from the International Fund for Assistance to Ukraine in order to subsequently transfer missiles to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The deadline for submitting applications expired on May 4.
British military observers then suggested that it could be Harpoon anti-ship missiles with a range of up to 240 km or Storm Shadow aircraft missiles.
On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a message to the Federal Assembly that if Kiev receives long-range missiles, Russia will have to move the threat away from its borders.
"One thing should be clear to everyone: the more long-range Western systems arrive in Ukraine, the further we will be forced to move the threat away from our borders. This is natural," the politician stressed.
Angelina Milchenko