UK confirms supply of Storm Shadow long-range missiles in Ukraine

The UK has confirmed it is supplying Ukraine with long-range missiles it requested for its combat against invading Russian forces.

The Storm Shadow cruise rocket has a scope of implicit 250km (155 miles), according to the manufacturer.

By contrast, the US-supplied Himars missiles utilized by Ukraine lone person a scope of astir 80 km (50 miles).

The weapons volition springiness Ukraine caller capabilities arsenic it prepares a counter-offensive against Russia.

They are fired from aircraft, truthful the longer scope means Ukrainian pilots volition beryllium capable to enactment further from the frontlines.

Once launched, the Storm Shadow drops to debased altitude to debar detection by force radar, earlier latching onto its people with an infra-red seeker.

The announcement was made successful the House of Commons by UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace. The determination follows repeated pleas from Ukraine for much weapons from the West.

Mr Wallace said the missiles would "allow Ukraine to propulsion backmost Russian forces based connected Ukrainian sovereign territory".

He said the UK had taken the determination to nonstop Storm Shadow missiles aft Russia "continued down a acheronian path" of targeting civilian infrastructure successful Ukraine.

"The donation of these rocket systems gives Ukraine the champion accidental of defending themselves against Russia's brutality," helium told MPs.

He described it arsenic a "calibrated and proportionate to Russia's escalations".

But helium warned that the capableness of the British-supplied Storm Shadows were "not successful the aforesaid league" arsenic Russia's ain rocket systems - with immoderate of Moscow's weapons boasting a importantly longer range.

Earlier this year, Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov insisted longer-range missiles would not beryllium utilized to onslaught targets wrong Russia itself.

"If we could onslaught astatine a region of up to 300 kilometres, the Russian service wouldn't beryllium capable to supply defence and volition person to lose," helium told an EU meeting.

"Ukraine is acceptable to supply immoderate guarantees that your weapons volition not beryllium progressive successful attacks connected the Russian territory."

In February, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said helium was prepared to nonstop long-range missiles to Ukraine, and the British authorities opened a bidding process for their procurement.

"Together we indispensable assistance Ukraine to shield its cities from Russian bombs and Iranian drones," Mr Sunak said then. "That's wherefore the United Kingdom volition beryllium the archetypal state to springiness Ukraine longer-range weapons."

On Thursday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Moscow would instrumentality an "appropriate" subject effect to immoderate British-supplied Storm Shadow weapons utilized by Ukrainian forces.

The Storm Shadow rocket has been operated by some British and French aerial forces and has been utilized antecedently successful the Gulf, Iraq and Libya.

The British-supplied missiles tin lone beryllium fired by aircraft, but French missiles tin beryllium fired from ships and submarines.