The United Kingdom is sending Ukraine a new batch of long-range Storm Shadow cruise missiles.
This will help Ukrainian forces disrupt Russian military operations targeting civilian infrastructure ahead of winter, Bloomberg reports, citing sources.
The replenishment of Britain’s missile stocks was discussed by Prime Minister Andy Burnham and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the Ukrainian leader’s visit to London. There are no plans to officially announce the delivery, and the governments of both countries are refraining from public comment on the exact number of missiles transferred.
Britain has been providing Ukraine with these precision-guided missiles since 2023. Initially, allies restricted their use to Ukrainian territory only; later, however, the Armed Forces of Ukraine began using Storm Shadow to strike military targets deep inside Russia. The British side considers such strikes defensive, as they are aimed at sites from which Russia attacks civilians and the energy sector.
London believes Ukraine should not halt such strikes as long as Moscow continues its attacks. In addition, the UK has already announced plans to share missile blueprints with Kyiv for subsequent production in Ukraine, and is also developing cheaper long-range weapons that do not rely on American components.
- In September, the UK Prime Minister and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed, during a meeting, the deployment of local assembly lines for SCALP long-range missiles on Ukrainian territory.
- In recent days, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine is holding talks with partners and is expecting new support packages.