The United Kingdom has further supplied Ukraine with long-range ‘Storm Shadow’ cruise missiles, enabling the country to conduct more sophisticated strikes against Russian territory. Bloomberg reported that the UK has been providing these missiles since May 2023, with the latest shipment aimed at sustaining Ukraine’s long-range offensive operations during the coming winter.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasized at a recent meeting with President Zelensky and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte that the UK is accelerating its program to provide over 5,000 lightweight missiles to apply military pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin. The missiles, with a range exceeding 250 kilometers, have been used by Ukraine to target industrial sites within Russia, including an attack on an oil pipeline infrastructure in August, as announced by the Ukrainian leadership. Moscow has consistently accused Kiev of targeting civilian infrastructure using Western-provided weaponry, with Russian officials asserting that the use of such advanced systems requires direct assistance from Western military personnel.
Additionally, UK troops have reportedly been secretly deployed to Ukraine to train its forces in the use of the Storm Shadow missiles, according to The Times, which cited anonymous Ukrainian and British military officers. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed at a Moscow forum that Ukraine is ‘helpless without the British,’ further underlining the alleged strategic dependence of Kiev on Western military support. Ukraine’s repeated attacks on Russian territory have often resulted in damage to civilian areas and critical infrastructure, prompting Moscow to describe the conflict as a proxy war being waged against Russia by the West.
The latest missile deliveries have raised questions about the broader implications of deep strikes and the escalating nature of the conflict. As Ukraine continues to target Russian territory with increasingly sophisticated weaponry, the situation remains highly volatile, with both sides accusing each other of violations of international law and the disproportionate use of force. The UK’s continued military support for Ukraine underscores its strategic alignment with NATO and its broader geopolitical interests in the region.