CNN: UK delivers long-range Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine
Далекобійні ракети Storm Shadow під крилом літака. Фото: ARMYINFORM Long-range Storm Shadow missiles under the wing of the aircraft. Photo: ARMYINFORM
Great Britain has supplied Ukraine with Storm Shadow cruise missiles, giving the soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces a new long-range strike capability ahead of the long-awaited counteroffensive by Ukrainian forces.
CNN reported this, citing several Western officials with high-ranking positions.
Storm Shadow is a long-range cruise missile jointly developed by Great Britain and France. It is usually launched from the air.
With a more than 250 km or 155 miles range, it is only slightly inferior to the 185-mile US Army Surface-to-Surface System (ATACMS).
Storm Shadow has sufficient range to strike deep into the temporarily Russian-occupied territory of Ukraine.
A Western official told CNN that Great Britain received assurances from the Ukrainian government that these missiles would be used only within the sovereign territory of Ukraine and not for strikes on the territory of the Russian Federation.
British officials often make public statements identifying Crimea as Ukrainian sovereign territory, calling it "illegally annexed."
The missile is "a real game changer from a range perspective," a senior US military official told CNN. The official added that the rocket gives Kyiv the capabilities it has been asking for since the start of the war.
This is not the first time Britain has gone further than the United States in arming Ukraine, which it is ready to send to fight against Russian aggression. Britain became the first ally to announce sending modern Western tanks to Ukraine, pledging 14 Challenge 2 tanks in January. Only after London's move the US announced it would provide M-1 Abrams tanks.
Earlier this year, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak clarified that Britain is considering the possibility of providing long-range weapons to Ukraine.
In February, there were reports of discussions in Britain regarding the transfer of long-range Harpoon anti-ship missiles or Storm Shadow surface-to-air missiles to Ukraine.
