Ukraine fires UK-made Storm Shadow missiles at Russia: What we know | War news between Russia and Ukraine

Ukraine has fired UK-made Storm Shadow missiles into Russia a day after launching long-range US ATACMS missiles, raising fears of a major escalation in the nearly three-year war.

Ukraine’s government has yet to confirm the strikes on Tuesday and Wednesday, which come days after US President Joe Biden’s administration reportedly lifted restrictions on the use of the long-range US-made weapons following lobbying by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The Ukrainian leader has pressed his Western allies to allow the use of the ATACMS, or Army Tactical Missile System, amid military gains by Russian forces in recent months. Kyiv has received more than $100 billion. in aid from the West, including more than $61 billion. from the United States – the largest source of military aid to Ukraine.

Russia has warned that Ukraine’s use of long-range missiles to strike inside Russian territory could result in an escalation. On Thursday, the Ukrainian Air Force said Moscow fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into its territory. But Moscow has yet to confirm the claim.

Where did the attack take place and does this mean an escalation in the war?

What happened?

“Two Storm Shadow cruise missiles, six HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) rockets and 67 unmanned aerial vehicles were neutralized by air defense systems,” Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement Thursday, without sharing the location of the attack or information. about any damages.

Russian war correspondent accounts posted videos on Telegram in which at least 14 explosions can be heard. Most of these explosions were preceded by a sharp whistle similar to the sound of an incoming missile.

The videos show billows of black smoke rising above what appears to be a residential area.

Reuters news agency reported that the pro-Russian Two Majors channel posted on Telegram that Ukraine fired up to 12 Storm Shadow missiles into Russia’s Kursk region, which is on Ukraine’s border. The channel had pictures of pieces of the missile where the name Storm Shadow was clearly visible.

Where did they hit?

Al Jazeera’s Sanad verification agency used geolocation to deduce that the attack took place in Maryino, a village in Kursk.

What are Storm Shadow Missiles?

The Storm Shadow missile is an Anglo-French long-range cruise missile. It is launched from military aircraft in the air instead of from the ground. It is also called the SCALP missile.

The missiles are manufactured by the UK and produced using components from the US. They can hit targets up to 250 km (155 miles) away.

Each missile costs nearly $1 million. In May 2023, Britain confirmed that it had sent Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine on the condition that Ukraine only use them on its own territory against Russian forces. Western countries have supported Ukraine since Russia invaded its neighbor in February 2022.

According to Ukrainian media, Storm Shadow has previously been used in Russia-annexed Crimea. However, this is the first time Ukraine has used these weapons on Russian territory.

Why were these inserted now?

The green light to use long-range weapons came after the United States, Ukraine and South Korea said North Korean troops were deployed in the Kursk region. Part of Kursk has been taken over by Ukrainian forces during an offensive that began in August.

Washington, Kyiv and Seoul said 12,000 North Korean troops have been sent to Russia. In addition, they have accused Pyongyang of supplying weapons to Moscow. Moscow and Pyongyang have not officially confirmed the military deployment. The two countries signed a mutual defense pact in June during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s state visit to North Korea.

“The goal of these Western nations is to support Ukraine, especially in the area of ​​Russia that Ukraine has occupied, Kursk,” according to Al Jazeera’s diplomatic correspondent James Bays.

How did we get here?

The US secretly sent long-range missiles to Ukraine in March 2023, imposing the same conditions on their use as Britain did on Storm Shadows.

Recently, there were signs that Ukraine’s allies would lift the restrictions.

In September, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his British counterpart, Foreign Secretary David Lammy, visited Kiev and met Zelenskyy. Thanking the officials for visiting him, Zelenskyy wrote on his X account: “It is important that Ukrainian arguments are heard. This includes long-range weapons.”

Has Russia reacted?

Russia’s Defense Ministry said it shot down two Storm Shadow missiles. On Tuesday, the ministry said Ukraine fired US-made ATACMS in Russia’s Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine and Kursk.

The Russian president has warned Ukraine’s Western allies that if they allow Ukraine to attack Russia with the missiles, it will mean that NATO is “at war” with Russia.

Asked whether the lifting of the restrictions means NATO has entered the war, Keir Giles, a senior consulting fellow at the London-based Chatham House think tank, told Al Jazeera: “No, absolutely not. NATO is not a party to this conflict.”

He added that the threat was a way for Putin to conduct “information warfare to deter escalation”.

Tensions have escalated this week, as the war’s 1,000. day passed.

On Tuesday, Putin officially lowered the threshold for nuclear weapons use for Russia. These changes were first announced in September.

Of Tuesday’s ATACMS attack, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said: “This is, of course, a signal that they want to escalate.”

Speaking at a press conference during the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Brazil, Lavrov accused Washington of helping Kyiv operate the missiles, saying: “We will take this as a qualitatively new phase of the Western war against Russia. And we will respond accordingly.” He did not go into detail.

Russia launches ICBM

On Thursday, Russia launched an intercontinental ballistic missile that hit businesses and critical infrastructure in Ukraine’s east-central city of Dnipro, according to the Kyiv Air Force. If confirmed, this attack is the first time an ICBM has been used in war.

An ICBM is capable of delivering a nuclear attack.

Ukraine’s online newspaper Ukrainska Pravda cited anonymous sources as saying the missile fired was the RS-26 Rubezh. The RS-26 has a range of 5,800 km (3,604 miles), according to the Arms Control Association.

Russia has not commented on the attack.

Why are the UK and US helping Ukraine?

Giles, who is also the author of a forthcoming book, Who Will Defend Europe?, said Britain and France have “wanted to lift restrictions on the use of the weapons but were held back by the US”.

He added that the White House has not provided a coherent explanation for why it is lifting the restrictions now, but there is speculation.

Biden has given Ukraine the green light two months before Republican President Donald Trump is sworn in. Trump has vowed to end the war, raising concerns about whether the US will cut its military aid.