Ukraine has struck targets inside Russia with British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles for the first time, Bloomberg reported on Nov. 20, citing a Western official familiar with the matter.
According to the source, the strikes were approved as a response to the presence of North Korean troops in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, a sign of escalation by Russia.
Different versions of Storm Shadow missiles have a range of between 250 and 560 kilometers. Storm Shadows have been used to hit Russian military targets in Crimea, a sovereign Ukrainian territory illegally annexed by Russia.
The reported strikes come a day after Ukraine reportedly used U.S.-made ATACMS long-range missiles to attack Russian territory, following outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden’s approval on Nov. 17.
That strike reportedly hit a Russian military facility in Karachev, Bryansk Oblast.