Russian officials say the Ukrainian air force has launched long-range Storm Shadow missiles recently delivered from the UK to strike targets in Lugansk.
"Based on updated information, in the May 12 attack on the city of Lugansk, the Ukrainian military used two Storm Shadow cruise missiles, as well as one ADM-160B MALD projectile," the Lugansk People's Republic mission to the Russian-established Center for Coordination of War Crimes of Ukraine said on May 13.
If confirmed, this would be the first combat deployment of the Storm Shadow long-range missile, which Britain has just transferred to Ukraine. Meanwhile, the ADM-160B is a US-made decoy that could be deployed by Ukraine to disrupt Russian air defenses in Lugansk.
Lugansk authorities previously said the Ukrainian military used Grom-2 ballistic missiles to carry out the attack. Pro-Russian officials in the Donbass region said six children were injured in the attack.
Kiev has not commented on the information released by Russian officials. The Ukrainian military has rarely attacked the city of Lugansk since the outbreak of hostilities in February 2022, due to a lack of long-range weapons that can hit targets there.
French Rafale MO2 fighter jet equipped with Storm Shadow long-range cruise missile. Photo: MBDA
A large explosion was reported in the eastern suburbs of Lugansk on the morning of May 13. Leonid Pasechnik, a pro-Russian official in Lugansk, said firefighters had been dispatched to the scene, but did not provide an update on the number of victims. Some witnesses described the explosion as shattering windows in several houses and billowing black smoke from the scene.
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace confirmed on May 11 that the country is providing Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine to "give Kiev the best chance of defending itself against Moscow" and repel Russian troops on the Ukrainian battlefield. The missile has a maximum speed of 1,000 km/h and is capable of hitting targets at a distance of 250-560 km depending on the variant.
The Russian Foreign Ministry on May 12 condemned Britain's provision of long-range missiles to Ukraine, calling it a hostile act against Moscow and an expansion of the war.
A Western official said Ukraine had assured the British government that it would only use Storm Shadow missiles to attack areas controlled by Russia after the outbreak of hostilities in February 2022 and the Crimean peninsula, and not attack deep inside Russian territory.
The situation on the battlefield in Ukraine. Graphics: WP
Thanh Danh (According to TASS, CNN )
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