BREAKING: British Storm Shadow missiles ‘fired by Ukraine into Russia.’ US Embassy closes, warns staff.

Leave a CommentBREAKING: British Storm Shadow missiles ‘fired by Ukraine into Russia.’ US Embassy closes, warns staff.Commentary

Long-range British Storm Shadow missiles have reportedly been fired into Russia by Ukraine for the first time. Debris on the ground supports the assumption that Storm Shadows were used.

The weapons were fired into the Kursk region on Wednesday morning.

The Storm Shadow missiles appear to have targeted Mar’ino village, which lies less than 40 km from the Ukrainian border. The coordinates of this location are: 51°35’12.88″N, 34°56’32.84″E

In the area, there’s a sanatorium, and according to a video, military personnel are also present, suggesting that the site might serve as a military or intelligence command center. Such facilities in Russia often present a civilian facade while actually functioning for military or intelligence purposes.

Striking this location with 12 missiles indicates it was considered a high-priority target, possibly aiming to disrupt command operations or eliminate key figures like Russian or North Korean military leaders or intelligence officials. This attack seems like an attempt at a decapitation strike. Further details are required to fully understand the implications and outcomes of this operation.

The strikes were approved in response to Moscow’s escalation by deploying North Korean troops in its war against Ukraine, an unnamed Western official told Bloomberg.

Defence Secretary John Healey did not deny that the British missiles had been fired on Russia when questioned about it in the House of Commons on Wednesday afternoon.

He said: “We, as a nation and as a Government, are doubling down on our support for Ukraine and determined to do more.

“I discussed this with [Ukrainian Defence Minister] Rustem Umerov in a call yesterday where he talked about the robust response that Ukraine is making to recent Russian escalations.

“That’s the escalation in the attacks on Ukrainian cities and children, the escalation in attacks on their energy system, and the escalation with deploying 10,000 North Korean troops in combat positions on the front line.”

This all comes after US president Joe Biden agreed to allow Kyiv to use American long-range ATACMS weapons to hit a what they claim to be a military facility in Bryansk, Russia early on Tuesday. Russia responded by issuing fallout shelters to the population.

A spokesman for UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the Government would not be commenting on the reports or operational matters.

The US temporarily closed its embassy in Kyiv on Wednesday after receiving warning of a “potential significant air attack”.  It advised American citizens to be prepared to move immediately to a shelter if there was an air raid warning. (The British Embassy remains open).