Britain to deliver long-range missiles to Ukraine

British Defense Minister Ben Wallace announced on May 10 that his country would supply long-range MBDA Storm Shadow missiles to Kiev, giving it the ability to attack deep in Russia. Great Britain is thus the first country to supply such weapons to Ukraine. Meanwhile, the West's hunt for any arms shipments to Moscow continues, with South Africa the latest accused.

Volodymyr Zelensky had long asked his Western allies for long-range missiles, but overwhelming support from Britain and other allies such as the United States was limited to shorter-range weapons. For now, only drones allow the Ukrainian army to reach the depth of the Russian device.

Washington had refused kyiv's request to obtain ATACMS missiles, which could be fired by the Himars rocket launcher systems already delivered. With a range of 300 km, the Biden administration feared an escalation with Russia. UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said London was sending Shadow Storm missiles to Ukraine so they could be used domestically, meaning he had received assurances from Ukraine that they would not be used to target Russia's interior.

The Kremlin had previously warned that if Britain supplied the missiles to Ukraine, it should expect "an adequate response from our military". Russia has carried out long-range missile attacks against Ukraine. He has previously said that such attacks are aimed at reducing kyiv's military capabilities, rejecting any deliberate strikes against civilians.