UK Storm Shadow missiles reportedly fired on Russian targets

British Storm Shadow cruise missiles have been fired at targets inside Russia in response to the deployment of North Korean troops by Moscow in its war on Ukraine, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.

It follows claims by a Russian military blog that fragments of the missile were discovered in the Kursk region of Russia.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has long demanded that Western allies loosen their restrictions on the use of donated weapons.

Earlier this week, outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden approved Ukraine firing its donated ATACMS ballistic missiles into Russia, prompting an aggressive verbal response from Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.

After Biden’s ATACMS call, there were expectations that the Storm Shadow/SCALP cruise missiles donated by the U.K. and France would also be permitted to fire on targets inside Russia. The missiles use U.S. technology for targeting, allowing Washington to control their use.

Despite hints from Prime Minister Keir Starmer earlier this week that London would give its consent, the government is still refusing to confirm the reports.

“Ukraine’s action on the battlefield speaks for itself,” Defence Secretary John Healey told MPs in parliament Wednesday. “We as a nation as a government are doubling down on our support for Ukraine and are determined to do more.”

He added that he was unable to provide operational details about any Storm Shadow deployment.