The UK has officially confirmed it is supplying Ukraine with long-range missiles it requested for its fight against invading Russian forces, reports the BBC.
The Storm Shadow cruise missile has a range of over 250km (155 miles), according to the manufacturer. These weapons will give Ukraine the „best chance” of defending itself, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said.
They are fired from aircraft, so the longer range means Ukrainian pilots will be able to stay further from the frontlines.Once launched, the Storm Shadow drops to low altitude to avoid detection by enemy radar, before latching onto its target with an infra-red seeker.
The decision follows repeated pleas from Ukraine for more weapons from the West.
He said the UK took the decision after Russia „continued down a dark path” of targeting civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. „None of this would have been necessary had Russia not invaded”, he added.
On Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow would take an „appropriate” military response to any British-supplied Storm Shadow weapons used by Ukrainian forces.
