Ukraine strikes Russia with Storm Shadows for the first time, Bloomberg reports

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.

Ukraine used ATACMS on Russian territory for first time, according to Moscow, media

If confirmed, this would mark the first instance of Ukraine using U.S.-made long-range missiles on Russian territory since Washington eased the restrictions last week.

The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek