UKRAINE FIRES UK-MADE STORM SHADOW MISSILES INTO RUSSIA’S KURSK REGION

Wed 20 November 2024:

Ukraine has fired long-range British Storm Shadow missiles into Russian territory for the first time, a day after launching United States-made long-range missiles into the country, British media outlets report.

Russian war correspondent accounts on Telegram posted footage on Wednesday they said included the sound of the missiles striking in the Kursk region, which lies on Ukraine’s border. At least 14 huge explosions can be heard, most of them preceded by the sharp whistle of what sounds like an incoming missile. The footage, shot in a residential area, showed black smoke rising in the distance.

People in Kursk also reportedly found fragments from the missiles in the region.

A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his office would not be commenting on reports or operational matters.

Britain had previously said Ukraine could use Storm Shadow cruise missiles within Ukrainian territory, but London has been pressing Washington for permission to allow their use to strike targets inside Russia for several months.

On Tuesday, Ukraine used US-made long-range weapons to strike targets in Russia. US President Joe Biden’s administration has allowed Kyiv to use these missiles in and around the Kursk region only.

Afterwards, Russian President Vladimir Putin lowered the threshold for a nuclear strike in response to a broader range of conventional attacks. Washington said afterwards it had not seen any reason to adjust its nuclear posture while China called for restraint.

In another US policy shift on Wednesday, Biden authorised the use of antipersonnel landmines in Ukraine. Washington also announced a $275m military aid package for Ukraine, including ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), artillery shells, Javelin surface-to-air missiles, and small arms and ammunition.

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On Wednesday, a Reuters news agency report said Putin is open to discussing a ceasefire with Trump but has ruled out making any major territorial concessions and has insisted that Kyiv abandon ambitions to join NATO.

But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reacted to the Reuters report, saying “any option of freezing this conflict will not work for us”.

Speaking at a news conference, he said it is important for Russia to achieve its goals, “which are well known to everyone”.

According to Russia’s TASS news agency, Peskov was referring to Russia’s demand for Ukraine’s neutral and nonaligned status, the security of Russian borders and Kyiv’s refusal to deploy foreign weapons on its territory.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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