Explained: What Are The British Storm Shadow Missiles Ukraine Struck Russia With?

Ukraine launched the Anglo-British-made Storm Shadow missiles into Russian territory on Wednesday, the first time Kyiv used the equipment outside Ukrainian territory. This preceded Ukraine's launch of US-made ATACMS missiles into Russia on Tuesday. The decision to approve the strikes comes amidst the deployment of over 10,000 North Korean troops on Russia's border with Ukraine.

A Russian blogger on Wednesday posted images on Telegram of a piece of the Storm Shadow missile, claiming that 12 missiles were fired towards the Kursk region of Russia. The blog further stated that the piece had engravings that said "Storm Shadow," the location of the fragment was found to be about 35 miles from the Ukrainian border.

The UK and France supplied the long-range Storm Shadow missiles, which had a range of 250 kilometres, comparatively shorter than the American ATACMS's 300 kilometres. Notably, Kyiv has used the missiles only in the Kursk region, which continues to be under Ukrainian control.

The White House on Sunday permitted Kyiv to use the Army Tactical Missile System or the ATACMS missile system to hit targets outside Ukrainian territory. On Tuesday, Ukraine fired eight of the American-made ammunition to hit a weapons depot in Bryansk, north of the Kursk region, across the border into Russia.

The Russian Ministry of Defence on Tuesday stated that six ATACMS were fired at the facility in Bryansk. Five of the missiles were intercepted and shot down, and the sixth was damaged. However, Ukraine has yet to confirm or deny the use of the longer-range missile system.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said: "Ukraine has long-range capabilities. Ukraine has long-range drones in its production. We now have a long 'Neptune' (Ukrainian cruise missiles) and not just one. And now we have ATACMS. And we will use all of this."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned Ukraine over the use of US and UK-made missiles inside Russia's territory. He added that it would be equivalent to NATO entering into a head-on conflict with Moscow.

What is Storm Shadow?

The Storm Shadow, or SCALP, is an air-launched cruise missile with stealth capabilities developed by the UK and France. It has a range of 250 kilometres and costs $1 million per missile. It is mainly used for precision targeting of ammunition depots and bunkers. It is operated on the Eurofighter Typhoon, Rafale, Mirage 2000, and Tornado.

However, given the delay in allowing the use of Storm Shadow against Russia, Moscow has already taken precautionary measures. It has shifted bombers, missiles, and other military equipment and infrastructure further back from the border, which is well beyond the Storm Shadow's range. The Institute for the Study of War has identified about 225 Russian military and ammunition bases within the Storm Shadow's range.
President Putin considers the usage of Storm Shadow as an escalation of the war. While addressing the media, he said, "Only servicemen of NATO countries can input flight missions into these missile systems." He further stated that Ukraine is dependent on its Western allies for satellite intelligence for targeting.

Post the Ukrainian strike using the ATACMS, Putin lowered the threshold for a nuclear strike to a broader range of conventional attacks. The war, which has been ongoing for over 1,000 days, is at a critical juncture. Russian Members of Parliament (MPs) have warned the US over their acts, which are closing towards bringing a "World War Three."

Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said, "We're going to continue to monitor, but we don't have any indications that Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon within Ukraine".