The U.K. has delivered dozens of Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine, Bloomberg reports, marking the first major arms transfer under Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s leadership.
The unannounced shipments carried out weeks ago, were ordered after Ukrainian forces faced shortages of long-range missiles, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Officials speaking to Bloomberg, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the information, confirmed that the missiles were supplied before the U.K. and the U.S. authorized Ukraine to target locations inside Russia with long-range weapons. The exact timeline and quantity of the shipment remain undisclosed.
"We do not comment on operational detail, to do so would only benefit [Russian President Vladimir Putin]," the Ministry of Defense told Bloomberg. The ministry reiterated the U.K.’s "ironclad" support for Ukraine in its war against Russia.
Ukrainian forces recently used the Storm Shadow missiles to strike Russian targets in the western Bryansk region, one day after deploying U.S.-made ATACMS in similar operations.
At the G20 summit in Brazil on Nov. 20, Starmer said his government was "doubling down" on its support for Ukraine but avoided disclosing specifics. Ukraine had previously used Storm Shadows against Russian forces in the Black Sea, though the U.K. government has not confirmed the total number supplied since the war began.
The missiles, manufactured by MBDA, a defense company that provides missile systems for each branch of the armed forces, are precision-guided and boast a range exceeding 250 kilometers. Equipped with advanced navigation systems, they are designed to fly close to terrain at high speeds, enhancing their effectiveness in striking critical targets.
The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk