Russia threatens Britain with ‘an adequate response from our military’ over supply of missiles

Russia today threatened Britain with an “adequate response from our military” after the UK agreed to supply Ukraine with Storm Shadow long-range missiles.

The missiles, which cost about £2.2 million, will allow Ukraine to hit Russian troops and logistics hubs deep behind the frontline and deal a major blow to Vladimir Putin.

Britain had received assurances from the Ukrainian government that these missiles would only be used within Ukrainian sovereign territory and not within Russia, several senior Western officials said.

Ukraine has been asking for long-range missiles for months, but support from Britain and other allies, such as the United States, has previously been limited to shorter-range weapons.

But Western officials told CNN that the UK has now supplied the missile to Ukraine, sparking a furious reaction from the Kremlin.

Pictured: An image showing how the Storm Shadow Missiles would work on the battlefield

“The UK has previously said it will provide Ukraine with long-range weapons, including now a number of Storm Shadow missiles,” the Western official said.

“The British government has made it clear that this is only a response to Russia’s deliberate attack on civilian national infrastructure and that it is a proportionate response.”

The Kremlin said the reports would require “an adequate response from our military,” while Britain’s Defense Ministry declined to comment.

The Storm Shadow is a long-range air-launched missile designed for strikes against high-value targets such as hardened bunkers and critical infrastructure.

The missiles, jointly developed by the UK and France, have a firing range of more than 250km, meaning Kiev could strike deep into Russian-held territory in eastern Ukraine, where the fiercest fighting is underway..

The UK’s decision to supply the missiles comes as British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace and Foreign Secretary James Cleverly were in the United States in recent weeks for talks on aid to Ukraine.

Stormy shadow

The Storm Shadow, also known as SCALP, is an air-to-surface missile capable of hitting fixed or stationary targets.

Length: 16ft 9in

Range: 350 miles

Speed: 1000 km/h

Wallace will make a statement to parliament on Ukraine around 1100 GMT on Thursday.

Britain and other Western countries have stepped up their military aid to Ukraine this year, with Britain saying in January it would send 14 of its main Challenger 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine, a commitment followed by other countries, including the United States and Germany.

The war in Ukraine is at a turning point, with Kiev expected to unleash its new counter-offensive after six months of keeping its forces on the defensive, while Russia launched a massive winter offensive that failed to capture significant territory.

Last week, a British-led group of European countries asked companies for expressions of interest in supplying Ukraine with missiles with a range of up to 300 km (190 mi), but Britain said on Tuesday that a final decision had not yet been made on the supply of the missiles. weapons.

The capabilities specified in that message are consistent with Storm Shadow missiles manufactured by the European missile manufacturer MBDA.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told the Munich Security Conference in February that Britain would be the first country to supply Ukraine with extended-range weapons.

The United States said in February it would provide the Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB), which has a range of about 151 km.

Asked on Tuesday about delivering long-range missiles, Cleverly declined to specify specific plans, but said it was important to keep looking for ways to “strengthen and accelerate the support we are giving to Ukraine.”

Artillery missile units of the Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Army conduct an operation to attack Russian troops’ trenches through the Donetsk region of Ukraine on May 9