UK Blocks Use of Storm Shadow Missiles for Ukraine’s Kursk Offensive

The UK refused Ukraine’s request to use Storm Shadow missiles for strikes in the Kursk region despite President Volodymyr Zelensky’s appeals, The Telegraph reports from an anonymous source in the British Prime Minister‘s office.

As Russian forces launch counterattacks on the Kursk front, Zelensky has again asked Western allies for permission to use long-range missiles against targets deep within Russia.

However, the source stated that “there has been no change.”

“We have been providing military aid to support Ukraine’s clear right of self-defense against Russia’s illegal attacks in accordance with international humanitarian law. We are clear that equipment provided by the UK is intended for the defense of Ukraine,” the source said.

Last month, during a visit to the UK, Zelensky requested that UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer lift restrictions on using munitions with a range of about 250 kilometers (155 miles), as Kyiv plans to strike airfields and logistical hubs far behind the front lines that Moscow uses to reinforce its positions in Kursk.

Former British tank commander Hamish de Bretton-Gordon stated that Storm Shadow missiles could target “rail hubs and key roads leading to Kursk, as well as any airfields within a 100-mile (160-km) radius.”

Military combat airplanes (fighters, bombers, fighter-bombers) fly about 8-12 (statute) miles per minute at normal subsonic combat cruise speeds, meaning 100 miles is a short distance local flight for any aircraft likely to engage ground or air forces, according to a Kyiv Post analyst with two decades of military flying experience in fighters.

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The use of Storm Shadow missiles also depends on France, as the missiles are a joint development between the UK and France (British Aerospace and Matra). Paris also has a say in their employment.

Ukraine has also sought permission from the US to use its long-range ATACMS missiles during the Kursk offensive but has so far been denied.

On Aug. 12, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov reported discussing with French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu the possibility of lifting the ban on striking military targets in Russia.

“We discussed recent events on the front and emphasized the need to lift the ban on targeting military objectives within enemy territory,” Umerov said on social media.

Storm Shadow is a joint UK-French development (British Aerospace and Matra) with two main variants: an export version with a range of up to 250 kilometers (155 miles) and a baseline version with a range of up to 560 kilometers. In the French Air Force, it is known as SCALP-EG. While a range of 250 kilometers (348 miles) is NATO standard, it represents a significant breakthrough for the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the anti-Russian coalition.

Ukraine last week sent troops into Russia’s border region of Kursk, in the largest cross-border operation by Kyiv since Moscow launched its offensive more than two years ago.

The assault, which has sent tens of thousands of people fleeing, marked the most significant attack by a foreign military on Russian territory since World War II.

A top Ukrainian official told AFP that the operation was aimed at stretching Moscow troops and destabilizing the country after months of slow Russian advances across the front line.

The assault appeared to catch the Kremlin off guard, with Moscow‘s army rushing in reserve troops, tanks, aviation, artillery and drones in a bid to quash it.