Britain is providing Ukraine with a new batch of long-range Storm Shadow missiles — media
Kyiv • UNN
London is providing Kyiv with additional Storm Shadows to counter Russian strikes on civilian infrastructure. The number of missiles has not been disclosed.
The United Kingdom is providing Ukraine with an additional batch of long-range Storm Shadow missiles to help it disrupt Russian military operations targeting civilian infrastructure ahead of winter. People familiar with the situation said, reports UNN, citing Bloomberg.
According to sources who agreed to provide the information on condition of anonymity, the supply of these British-made cruise missiles was discussed during a meeting between Prime Minister Andy Burnham and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in London on Wednesday. The weapons shipment had not previously been announced publicly.
The United Kingdom and other allies of Ukraine are stepping up support for the war-torn country. This is happening as U.S. President Donald Trump announced last week that he had reached an agreement with President Vladimir Putin on placing Russian diesel fuel on the global market. On Wednesday, in an interview on the program "Piers Morgan Uncensored," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he felt betrayed by events in recent days — in particular, the diesel-fuel agreement, Trump’s announcement of an "energy ceasefire," as well as problems with Ukrainian troops’ access to SpaceX satellite technology.
The publication notes that the United Kingdom has been supplying Ukraine with Storm Shadow missiles since 2023, although their use was initially restricted to the combat zone within Ukrainian territory. At the end of 2024, Ukrainian forces expanded the geography of their use, striking military facilities on Russian territory with British cruise missiles for the first time.
According to the sources, the United Kingdom considers Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons against Russian facilities involved in attacks on civilians and infrastructure to be defensive actions. In recent weeks, Russia has increased production of jet-powered drones and missiles to intensify attacks on Ukraine, so it is important for Kyiv to have the ability to counter these actions, the sources said.
The Trump administration urged Kyiv to stop drone attacks on Russian oil refineries, but the strikes resumed on Thursday — in response to ongoing Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy facilities. As evidence of differences between the positions of the British and U.S. governments, the sources said that, in London’s view, Ukraine should not stop striking Russia until Moscow itself abandons such actions.
The media outlet notes that the British government declined to comment. It does not disclose exactly how many Storm Shadow missiles have been supplied to Ukraine during the war and does not report on each individual delivery. Storm Shadow missiles, produced by MBDA, have proven highly effective at penetrating Russia’s air-defense system and striking military and industrial facilities. These highly precise air-launched missiles have a range of more than 250 kilometers (155 miles); they are difficult to defend against because they fly at high speed while following the contours of the terrain.
In August, Burnham announced that the United Kingdom would provide Kyiv with technical documentation for long-range missiles so that Ukraine could establish their production on its own territory, although implementing the project will likely take some time.
In addition, Britain is developing low-cost long-range strike systems for Ukraine that will not depend on the supply of components or data from the United States.