British Media Confirms ‘Storm Shadow’ Missile Strike Deep Inside Russia

British state media reports a successful ‘Storm Shadow’ missile strike deep within Russian territory, highlighting the growing reach of the conflict. 

According to a BBC report on Wednesday, Ukraine has allegedly launched British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles at targets in Russia’s Kursk Region. This news comes after claims that Washington has also allowed Kiev to use its ATACMS missiles for long-range strikes against Russia.

Although London has not officially confirmed permitting Kiev to use its missiles against targets deep within Russian territory, the BBC claims it received information from British officials suggesting that UK Defense Secretary John Healey had a discussion with his Ukrainian counterpart on Tuesday night.

Before that, Healey told Parliament that London was “doubling down” on its support for Kiev, stating that “Ukraine’s action on the battlefield speaks for itself.” The BBC mentioned that British ministers are likely to “exercise caution in their response to the reports” because of concerns about how Russia might react.

The broadcaster also highlighted several images posted on Telegram that purportedly display fragments of a Storm Shadow missile in Kursk. The outlet noted it had consulted with weapons experts who verified that the debris shown in the pictures corresponds to parts of the British-supplied missile.

Earlier on Wednesday, Bloomberg reported that London had authorized Kyiv’s forces to use Storm Shadows in reaction to claims that North Korean troops were involved in the conflict in Russia’s Kursk Region.

READ ALSO: 1,000 Days of War: Russia Strikes Key Ukrainian City

Matthew Miller, the US State Department spokesman, refrained from commenting on the UK’s reported decision. Speaking to the BBC, he stated that he would not “publicly address another country’s weapons use.”

Although the Russian Defense Ministry has not confirmed that Storm Shadows were used in Kursk, several Telegram channels have reported that as many as 12 UK-supplied missiles targeted the region on Wednesday afternoon. It is alleged that all these missiles were intercepted by air defenses.

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has stated that he obtained approval from several Western countries to use their long-range rockets on targets deep within Russia.

Moscow has cautioned that these attacks would represent NATO’s direct participation in the conflict.

Russian President Vladimir Putin highlighted that Kiev’s deployment of Western long-range missiles would change the conflict dynamics. On Tuesday, he updated Russia’s nuclear doctrine to incorporate clauses permitting Moscow to contemplate using weapons of mass destruction in reaction to conventional assaults carried out by proxies from a state armed with nuclear capabilities.