Ukraine has fired long-range British Storm Shadow missiles into Russian territory, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, citing an unnamed official.
Unverified footage shared on X appears to show Storm Shadow missiles raining down in the village of Maryino.
A spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his office would not be commenting on the reports.
Britain had previously said Ukraine could use Storm Shadow cruise missiles within Ukrainian territory but the government has been pressing the United States for permission to allow their use to strike targets inside Russia for several months.
U.S. President Joe Biden changed its policy to allow Ukraine to use U.S.-made weapons to strike deep into Russia this week.
Debris from the attacks appears to confirm Storm Shadows were used in the attack, which reportedly targeted a ‘military facility’ in the area.
There are also unconfirmed reports that Storm Shadows had also targeted Vladimir Putin’s £1 billion Crimean Bridge but were downed.
One video recorded the sound of a dozen or so missiles flying towards explosions in Kursk region.
Earlier, the governor of Kursk region reported the shooting down of two missiles, without specifying their type.
In total, it was reported that 12 missiles were launched by Ukrainian aircraft.
Multiple Russian channels identified the missile onslaught on Kursk region as being Storm Shadows.
The similar SCALP missile is supplied by France.
Russia’s new nuclear doctrine signed off by Putin allows for an atomic strike by Moscow if conventional missiles supplied by Britain, France or the US are used against the dictator’s territory.
In a remarkable coincidence, the attack occurred at the exact moment UK defence secretary John Healy announced a series of cuts to Britain’s military budget which will see them scrap warships, military helicopters and a fleet of drones, despite the escalating threats from Russia.
The defence secretary described the equipment being axed as ‘outdated’ and said the ‘common sense’ decision to retire them was long overdue.
Earlier today, Ukraine accused Russia of staging ‘a massive information-psychological attack’ by spreading a fake warning about an imminent large-scale air attack in Kyiv’s, which prompted several countries, including the US, to temporarily evacuate their embassies.
Military analysts say the U.S.’ decision to authorise the use of long-range missiles could help Kyiv defend the foothold in Russia’s Kursk region that it seized as leverage in any war talks.
But it may come too late to change the course of the war.
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The impact on the battlefield, where Ukraine has been on the back foot for months, will depend on what limits on their use remain.
While the shift may shore up the Kursk operation, it is unlikely to be a game changer overall.
‘The decision comes late, and like other decisions in this vein, it may be too late to substantially change the course of the fighting,’ Michael Kofman, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington said.
There also is no way to know how long the new policy will last.
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