Social media posts from 12th and 13th May 2023 indicate that Ukrainian forces have initiated the use of the Storm Shadow cruise missile, supplied by the United Kingdom, to target Russian military positions in the city of Luhansk. Pictures online display wreckages of the missile, corroborating its deployment in Ukraine.
The UK has made history by being the first ally to provide Ukraine with Storm Shadow long-range cruise missiles. On May 11, 2023, UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace confirmed that they were dispatching the requested long-range missiles to Ukraine for their struggle against the Russian invasion. This augments the existing array of long-range systems previously supplied, which includes HIMARS and Harpoon missiles, as well as Ukraine’s own Neptune cruise missiles and other extended-range munitions.
The quantity of Storm Shadow missiles sent has not been disclosed by the British Defence Secretary. He seemed to affirm that the air-launched missiles would be deployed from Ukrainian aircraft, stating that evaluating the technical feasibility of such an operation had been a part of the UK’s decision-making process.
In response to the UK’s decision to supply Storm Shadow long-range missiles to Ukraine, Russia has expressed its strong disapproval through the media. The Russian Foreign Ministry labelled the move as “extremely hostile,” stating, “We perceive this decision as an extremely aggressive act from London, intended to further infuse Ukraine with weapons and cause a serious escalation of the situation.