Inside a prison where Russia tortured Ukrainian POWs
The Olenivka POW camp, located in the Russian-occupied part of Donetsk Oblast, was a notorious Russian-controlled prison where Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilian hostages from Mariupol have been subjected to torture. The Kyiv Independent’s War Crimes Investigations Unit will name those responsible for torturing prisoners in Olenivka.
Skip to content
Edit post

UK confirms supply of Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine

by The Kyiv Independent news desk May 11, 2023 5:17 PM 2 min read
This audio is created with AI assistance

U.K. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has confirmed that his country is donating Storm Shadow long-range missiles to Ukraine, becoming the first nation to provide Kyiv with weaponry able to reach targets deep behind the front lines, Sky News reported on May 11.

Earlier the same day, CNN reported, citing Western officials, that Britain had already delivered to Ukraine these cruise missiles, which can hit targets over 250 kilometers away. Storm Shadow is only slightly inferior to the 185-mile U.S. Army Surface-to-Surface System (ATACMS), which Ukraine has long requested, so far unsuccessfully.

Such missiles can reach Russia's territory, but Kyiv promised the U.K. government not to use them to strike targets inside Russia, according to an official cited by CNN.

Instead, Kyiv says it would use donated long-range weapons to attack Russian command centers, supply lines, ammunition, and fuel depots deep in Crimea and the occupied territories of Ukraine's east.

Editorial: Arming Ukraine won’t escalate war. Reluctance to do so will
First it was the tanks, now it’s the fighter jets. As Ukraine braces for another possible major Russian offensive in the upcoming weeks, Western leaders are yet again coming up with a variety of excuses why this time, they cannot justify supplying F-16 and F-35 fighter jets to Ukraine.

Wallace said Storm Shadow missiles would complement other Western-provided long-range weapons, including HIMARS and Harpoon systems, as well as Ukrainian-made Neptune missiles.

Until the U.K.'s decision to provide Storm Shadow, Ukraine's maximum striking capabilities were U.S.-delivered HIMARS missiles with a range of 80 kilometers, unable to reach many of the Russian-occupied areas.

"Ukraine has a right to be able to defend itself against this. The use of Storm Shadow will allow Ukraine to push back Russian forces based within Ukrainian sovereign territory," Wallace added, as cited by Sky News.

The Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, as reported by Russian state-controlled news outlet RIA Novosti, that Russia "is extremely negative" about the news. Peskov threatened the U.K. with "an adequate response."

Politico: US will not follow UK in sending Ukraine long-range missiles
The Biden administration has no intention of following Britain’s lead in sending Ukraine long-range missiles, Politico reported, citing unnamed U.S. officials.

Support independent journalism in Ukraine. Join us in this fight.
Freedom can be costly. Both Ukraine and its journalists are paying a high price for their independence. Support independent journalism in its darkest hour. Support us for as little as $1, and it only takes a minute.
visa masterCard americanExpress

News Feed

Ukraine Daily
News from
Ukraine in your
inbox
6:02 PM

Media: Medvedchuk's pro-Russian movement opens branch in Serbia.

The Serbian branch of exiled Ukrainian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk's organization is headed by Dragan Stanojevic, a Serbian politician and public figure known for his pro-Russian, anti-Ukrainian views. Stanojevic was sanctioned by Ukraine in 2021 and banned from entering the country.
3:52 PM

UK accuses Russian FSB of multi-year campaign of cyber-attacks.

The U.K.'s National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) identified a likely Russian-controlled hacking group called Star Blizzard, whose cyber activities included phishing attacks on U.K. lawmakers, leaking of secret U.K.-U.S. trade documents, and hacking into the accounts of institutions and individuals from the U.K.'s civil society.
3:33 PM

US domestic political turmoil threatens to undermine support for Ukraine.

The Republican party has increasingly soured on continuing to support Ukraine, often citing economic reasons. However, what ultimately doomed the Dec. 6 vote was the mixing of U.S. aid to Ukraine with other political issues, namely domestic border security and the U.S. aid for longtime ally Israel.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe

Please, enter correct email address

Subscribe

* indicates required
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.