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New reports suggest that Ukraine has used the Storm Shadow long-range missiles to strike against targets inside Russia. Storm Shadow is a cruise missile with a maximum range of 250km (155 miles) that is considered an ideal weapon for penetrating hardened bunkers and ammunition stores. Developed by the Anglo-French manufacturer MBDA, the missiles are extremely effective but cost almost US$1m (£767,000) each. Ukraine had been using Storm Shadow missiles for months, but until recently, had limited their use to targets in territory occupied by Russia.
The UK has supplied these weapons at the request of Kyiv for its fight against Russian forces, but it had followed US policies of not allowing Ukraine to use the missiles outside its borders. This changed after President Joe Biden allowed the use of Atacms missiles supplied by Washington to strike inside Russia. Wednesday marked the first time the UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles have been used against targets inside Russia. The government has not yet commented publicly on the situation.
Ukraine wants to use longer-range missiles such as Storm Shadow to help push back Russian air strikes on occupied Ukrainian territories. Kiev has said that the inability to hit the bases these attacks are coming from was like fighting the war with one arm behind its back. The US decision to allow the use of its own long-range missiles, along with the use of UK-supplied missiles, is intended to help Ukraine defend the small chunk of Russian territory it currently occupies in the Kursk region, as a major assault by Russian and Northern Korean troops is expected.
Many Western officials believe that Storm Shadow and the American Atacms are unlikely to make a decisive difference, but the Institute for the Study of War think tank (ISW) has identified around 225 Russian bases in Ukraine that would be in range of Storm Shadows fired from Ukraine. Ultimately, military experts believe that Storm Shadow is unlikely to turn the tide of the conflict as Ukraine does not have many missiles, and the UK has very few left to provide.
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