Ukraine fires UK-made Storm Shadow missiles at Russia: Can it slow Moscow’s march to Kyiv?

The Russia-Ukraine war is heating up. A day after firing American long-range missiles into the country, Kyiv fired a number of British Storm Shadow cruise missiles into Russia’s Kursk region on Wednesday.

Neither the UK nor Ukraine have confirmed the use of the missiles, but accounts on Telegram posted photos of a Storm Shadow missile fragment, claiming that up to 12 of the missiles were fired on Russia’s Kursk region.

What do we know of these projectiles? How lethal are they and what does their deployment in the Russia-Ukraine war mean?

We analyse and get you the answers.

Ukraine fires Storm Shadow missiles

On Wednesday (November 20), a Russian military blogger posted images of what he claimed were fragments of the British-made Storm Shadow missiles that Ukraine fired in the Russian village of Marino, which is about 35 miles from the Ukrainian border.

He claimed that up to 12 such missiles were fired on Russia’s Kursk region.

Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal citing Ukrainian officials reported that Ukraine fired at least 10 Storm Shadow missiles into Russia.

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Ukraine and the UK have remained mum on the matter of the use of the Storm Shadow missiles in Russia. When asked about it, Ukraine’s Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said, “We are using all the means to defend our country, so we’ll not go into detail. But we are just sending that we are capable and able to respond.”

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

Incidentally, Britain had previously said Ukraine could use Storm Shadow cruise missiles within Ukrainian territory. However, this is the first time that these missiles have been in Russian territory.

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Lethality of Storm Shadow missiles

Storm Shadow is a cruise missile developed by the UK and France. Also called The Scalp by France, it has a maximum range of around 250 km (155 miles). This means they could strike deep into Russian territory. Powered by a turbo-jet engine, the 1,300 kg Storm Shadow travels at speeds of more than 965 kmph and is just over five metres long and has a wingspan of three metres.

They are powerful enough to penetrate bunkers and ammunition stores and damage airfields and can be precisely targeted. Weapon experts say that the missile is equipped with its own navigation system, allowing it to avoid detection, maximising its chances of hitting the target.

Storm Shadow missiles have also been used by British and French air forces in the Gulf, Iraq and Libya.

Each Storm Shadow missile costs nearly $1 million to manufacture and hence, is used carefully, often with drones to confuse the enemy.

UK’s supply of Storm Shadow to Ukraine

While Wednesday was the first time that Kyiv has fired the cruise missile inside Russian territory, the UK has been supplying the missile since last year.

The UK first confirmed it would supply Ukraine with Storm Shadow missiles in May last year. Then Defence Secretary Ben Wallace had said that the weapons would give Ukraine the “best chance” of defending itself.

Impact of Storm Shadow missiles on the war

Storm Shadow missiles can make a difference on the battlefield because of their accuracy and penetration capabilities. However, experts note that because of its cost and limited supply, they will have a marginal impact on the war.

Sky News’ security and defence editor Deborah Haynes echoed these observations, saying, “There is the uncomfortable reality that Ukraine’s stockpile of Storm Shadow missiles is severely limited, so their use will only have a marginal effect.”

Experts note that Russia is, however, prepared for these strikes using long-range missiles, dulling the impact of them. Matthew Savill, director of military science at the Rusi think tank told the BBC that Storm Shadow is unlikely to turn the tide — Ukraine doesn’t have many of them, and the UK has very few left to give.

But, the psychological impact of using these missiles could give Kyiv the boost it needs at a time when Russia is slow but significant progress in eastern Ukraine. Russian units supported by 10,000 North Korean soldiers have also been hitting back at Ukraine’s occupying forces in Kursk in western Russia. Some of the Ukrainian troops who launched an incursion in August have been driven back.

From the Russian perspective, Ukraine’s use of the Storm Shadow missiles is an escalation in the war. Following the US nod to the use of the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS ), Russian President Vladimir Putin revised the country’s nuclear policy , lowering the threshold required for the use of nuclear weapons.

Experts fear this will further escalate the war, which has now crossed the 1,000-day mark, extracting a heavy human and financial toll .

Russia-Ukraine war heats up

In the last few days, the Russia-Ukraine war has picked up pace with the US giving the nod to Ukraine to use the ATACMS missiles. On Wednesday, the US made another policy shift when Joe Biden authorised the use of anti-personnel landmines in Ukraine.

Analysts believe that the actions are Biden’s efforts to help Kyiv fend off Moscow. As _Al Jazeera’_s Assed Baig said, “The Biden administration is on its way out, and we have President-elect Donald Trump coming into office, who has criticised US military aid to Ukraine and has also said he would end this war in a matter of days.

“So what the US administration wants is to put Ukraine in a very strong position to at least slow down some Russian advances so that when there are negotiations, Ukraine is put in a more advantageous position than what it is now,” he said.

With inputs from agencies