Reports suggest the UK, mirroring the US, has authorized Ukraine to utilize Western long-range weaponry.
The BBC reported Wednesday that Ukraine allegedly employed British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles in strikes against targets within Russia’s Kursk Region. This follows claims that the US has similarly permitted Ukraine to use ATACMS missiles for long-range attacks on Russia.
While the UK hasn’t officially confirmed authorizing the use of its missiles against targets deep inside Russia, the BBC reported receiving information from British officials indicating that UK Defense Secretary John Healey spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart Tuesday night.
Prior to this conversation, Healey told Parliament the UK was “doubling down” on its support for Ukraine, adding that “Ukraine’s action on the battlefield speaks for itself.” The BBC noted that British ministers will likely “exercise caution in their response to the reports” due to concerns about Russia’s potential reaction.
The BBC also cited Telegram images purportedly showing Storm Shadow missile fragments in Kursk. The outlet stated it consulted weapons experts who confirmed the debris matched parts of the British-supplied missile.
Earlier Wednesday, Bloomberg reported that London approved the use of Storm Shadows by Ukrainian forces in response to claims that North Korean troops had joined the fighting in Russia’s Kursk Region.
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller declined to comment on the UK’s alleged decision, telling the BBC he wouldn’t “speak publicly to the use of another country’s weapons.”
Although the Russian Defense Ministry hasn’t confirmed the use of Storm Shadows in Kursk, several Telegram channels claimed that up to 12 UK-supplied missiles were fired at the region Wednesday afternoon, all allegedly intercepted by air defenses.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky previously asserted he received permission from several Western countries to deploy their long-range rockets against targets deep within Russia.
Moscow has warned that such attacks would constitute direct NATO involvement in the conflict.
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Kiev’s use of Western long-range missiles would fundamentally change the conflict. On Tuesday, Putin revised Russia’s nuclear doctrine to include provisions allowing Moscow to consider using weapons of mass destruction in response to conventional attacks by proxies of a nuclear-armed state.