Ukraine-Russia war latest: UK Storm Shadow missiles used inside Russia for first time
Biden clears provision of anti-personnel landmines to Kyiv as Putin ramps up Russia’s nuclear threat
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Your support makes all the difference.Ukraine has fired British long-range Storm Shadow missiles into Russia for the first time, The Independent understands, as momentum builds in the West’s military support for Kyiv’s war effort.
The British-made missile – which Kyiv has been lobbying to use beyond Russia’s borders for months – was fired at Russia on Wednesday, with images published by Russian military bloggers purporting to show Storm Shadow fragments in Russia’s Kursk region, beyond Ukraine’s northeastern border.
It comes after Ukraine fired an American-made long-range ATACMS missile more than 100 kilometres deep into Russia on Tuesday, after US president Joe Biden gave way to months of pressure from Kyiv.
On Wednesday, the US also announced it would allow the Ukrainian military to use anti-personnel landmines, as it seeks to slow down Russian advances.
Moscow has responded angrily to the developments, accusing the West of escalating the conflict.
Russian president Vladimir Putin signed a revised version of Moscow’s nuclear doctrine, which lowered the threshold for Russia to use nuclear weapons.
Now Ukraine fires British missiles at Russia for first time as UK ‘doubles down’ on support for Kyiv
The US is sending antipersonnel land mines to Ukraine. Here's what it means
US shuts Kyiv embassy over fears of ‘significant air attack’
What is the Storm Shadow cruise missile? Ukraine hits Russia with British weapon for first time
Czech military to buy 14 Leopard tanks from Germany in a $167m deal
The Czech defence ministry has announced plans to buy 14 Leopard 2A4 tanks from Germany in a $167m deal, as the country seeks to modernise its military following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The ministry said it hoped the deal would be signed with Germany’s Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH by the end of the year, with the tanks to be delivered by the end of 2026.
Germany has already donated 28 Leopard 2A4 tanks to the Czechs in exchange for the weapons they gave to Ukraine. The Leopards will replace the obsolete Soviet-era T-72 tanks.
The Czech military to buy 14 Leopard tanks from Germany in a $167 million deal
The Czech Defense Ministry says it's planning to buy 14 Leopard 2A4 tanks from Germany in a deal worth about $167 million
US defends approving landmines for Kyiv after Amnesty International and Norway condemn move
Amnesty International has condemned Washington’s decision to supply Ukraine with anti-personnel mines as “reckless” and a “deeply disappointing setback”.
Norway’s foreign minister, Espen Barth Eide, called it “very problematic” because Ukraine is a signatory to an international convention opposing the use of land mines.
However, US defence secretary Lloyd Austin argued that Ukraine already makes its own ant-personnel mines, and that the US has been providing Ukraine with anti-tank mines. He said the new mines the US is giving Kyiv are not persistent, meaning troops can control when they would self-detonate.
“That makes it far more safer eventually than the things that they are creating on their own,” Mr Austin said.
The mines are are electrically fused and powered by batteries so that when the battery runs out, they won’t detonate. They can become inert in anywhere from four hours to two weeks.
Full report: UK ministers scrap warships, helicopters, and drones in £500m defence cuts
The defence secretary has announced emergency cuts to the UK military including the Royal Navy’s two amphibious assault ships, a frigate and 31 helicopters.
John Healy has blamed the disputed £22bn black hole left in the finances by the Tories. However, the Conservatives have warned that the cuts have come because Labour refuses to spend 2.5 per cent of GDP on defence.
Mr Healey told MPs that Labour had “a dire inheritance” from the Tories in defence so needed to scrap six “outdated” defence projects which will save £500m over the next five years.
“We have begun to fix the foundations going forward,” he added. “For too long our soldiers, sailors and air staff have been stuck with using outdated equipment.”
The emergency statement caught MPs by surprise on Wednesday and has left doubts over whether the UK could take back the Falklands if they were invaded again.
Our political editor David Maddox has the full report:
Ministers scrap warships, helicopters, and drones in £500m defence cuts
Defence secretary John Healey cancels six ‘outdated’ defence projects
When did Britain first send Ukraine Storm Shadow missiles?
The UK first confirmed it would supply Ukraine with Storm Shadow missiles in May last year, for use on Russian-occupied territory in Ukraine.
Then defence secretary Ben Wallace had touted that the weapons would give Ukraine the “best chance” of defending itself.
Ukraine has deployed Storm Shadow missiles on several occasions during the war. In June last year, the then-defence secretary Ben Wallace told parliament that the missiles were already having a “significant impact on the battlefield”.
Storm Shadow missiles have also been used by British and French air forces in the Gulf, Iraq and Libya.
What is the Storm Shadow cruise missile?
Storm Shadow is an Anglo-French cruise missile with a maximum range of around 155 miles (250km). The French call it Scalp.
After launch, the weapon, equipped with its navigation system, descends to a low altitude to avoid detection before locking on to its target using an infra-red seeker. On the final approach, the missile climbs to a higher altitude to maximise the chances of hitting the target.
On impact, it penetrates the target before a delayed fuse detonates the main warhead. Powered by a turbo-jet engine, the 1,300kg Storm Shadow travels at speeds of more than 600mph, is just over five metres long and has a wingspan of three metres.
My colleagues Arpan Rai and Rachel Hagan have more details in this report:
What is the Storm Shadow missile? Ukraine hits Russia with British weapon
The missile carries a range of around 155 miles and is designed to evade detection despite flying low after being launched
Labour MP says he hopes Storm Shadow missiles ‘can take the fight to the Russians'
Labour MP Alex Ballinger, who previously served with the Royal Marines, said he hopes the Storm Shadow missiles can “take the fight to the Russians”.
The MP for Halesowen said it is “completely right to say that defence of the UK starts in Ukraine”, telling the Commons: “It is excellent to hear about the military support that we are providing to Ukraine, including the Storm Shadow missiles that we are hearing about in the media at the moment.
“I trained on those weapons and I hope that they can really take the fight to the Russians.”
Russian chess grandmaster rejects claims Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons is an escalation
Russian chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov has rejected suggestions that Ukraine using long-range missiles to hit targets in Russia is an escalation of the war.
Mr Kasparov said: “Russia has been bombarding Ukraine with missiles and drones every day for years. Years! Entire cities erased, tens of thousands of civilians killed.
“Don't treat it like escalation when Ukraine is allowed to strike back at military targets in the aggressor's territory.”
UK defence secretary says Britain ‘doubling down on support for Ukraine'
Addressing the Commons after a point of order was raised over reports of Storm Shadow missiles being used by Ukraine to strike Kursk, Labour’s defence secretary John Healey did not deny that the missiles had been used, saying he could not “go into any further operational details.”
But he noted: "We as a nation and government are doubling down on our support for Ukraine" and that “Ukraine’s action on the battlefield speaks for itself”.
Russian intelligence chief warns Russia will retaliate against Nato nations enabling Kyiv strikes
In an interview published on Wednesday, Russian foreign intelligence chief Sergei Naryshkin said that Moscow would retaliate against Nato countries that facilitate long-range Ukrainian missile strikes, as Kyiv used British Storm Shadow missiles in Kursk.
Sergei Lavrov, Russian foreign minister, said previously that long-range missiles to be fired into Russian territory “operated by American military experts” would be taken as a “new phase of the Western war against Russia and will react accordingly”, he said.
Full report: Ukraine fires British missiles at Russia for first time
Ukraine has fired British long-range Storm Shadow missiles into Russia territory for the first time, The Independent understands, the latest sign of a change in stance from Western countries on involvement in the conflict.
Images circulating online appear to show fragments of Storm Shadow missiles in Russia’s Kursk region – the border area into which Ukrainian forces staged a surprise assault in August, taking a swathe of territory they still hold.
Approval for use of the weapons is believed to have been given in response to the deployment of more than 10,000 North Korean troops in Kursk alongside Russian troops in what UK and US officials have warned was a major escalation of the war.
David Maddox and Alex Croft have the full report:
Now Ukraine fires British missiles at Russia for first time
Russians share photographs of exploded fragments showing markings of UK-made Storm Shadow weapons
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