London (Parliament Politics Magazine) – UK Defense Secretary John Healey will face MPs over reports that British-made Storm Shadow missiles were used by Ukraine in attacks within Russia, amid growing Western involvement.
John Healey, the UK defense secretary, is ready to appear before a parliamentary committee, where he is likely to face intense questions over Britain’s policy on supporting Kyiv in the ongoing conflict.
On Thursday, he will face questions from MPs following the reports that Ukraine has used storm Shadow missiles supplied by Britain within Russia.
As reported by the Independent News Moscow stated that American long-range missiles were fired into its territory a day before Storm Shadow missiles were used in Russia.
These strikes were reported after Washington permitted Ukraine to fire US-supplied missiles into Russian territory.
Multiple reports reveal that up to 12 long-range missiles were deployed with Wreckage from one found in Russia’s Kursk region which borders Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has reduced the threshold for using nuclear weapons after US President Joe Biden’s approval for Kyivo to fire ATACMS long-term missiles into Russia.
At 10:30 a.m., John Healey was scheduled to appear before the Commons Defence Committee, while the House of Lords, chaired by Lord Peter Ricketts, was expected to debate Ukraine later in the day.
Earlier in the Commons, Healey remarked, “Ukraine’s battlefield actions speak for themselves”.
Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s Defence Minister, refused to confirm the use of Storm Shadow missiles in Russian territory and stated that the country is “using all the means to defend our country”.
Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the US State Department, also avoided commenting on using the UK-provided missile or whether the US was providing navigational assistance.
When asked by the BBC if Ukraine was consulting with or informing the US about the use of missiles provided by the UK, Mr Miller said he would not “speak publicly to the use of another country’s weapons”.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has consistently insisted Kyiv’s Western allies approve the use of long-range missiles against targets within Russia, stating it is the only way to end the war.
What is Storm Shadow?
Storm Shadow, also known as Scalp in France, is an Anglo-French cruise missile with a range of up to 250 km (155 miles).
The missile is launched from an aircraft, it flies at near the speed of sound while staying close to the terrain, then drops down to detonate its high-explosive warhead.
Storm Shadow made by manufacturer MBDA is seen as the ideal weapon for targeting hardened bunkers and ammunition stores like those Russia employs in its war against Ukraine.
Each missile costs almost US$1 million (£767,000), Storm Shadow missiles are often deployed in a strategic combination with inexpensive drones aimed to confuse and wear down the enemy’s air defences, similar to Russia’s approach against Ukraine.
According to Justin Crump, a military analyst, ex-British Army officer, and CEO of Sibylline consultancy, Storm Shadow has proven to be a highly effective weapon for Ukraine, making precise hits in occupied territories with pinpoint accuracy.
He said, “It’s no surprise that Kyiv has lobbied for its use inside Russia, particularly to target airfields being used to mount the glide bomb attacks that have recently hindered Ukrainian front-line efforts”.
What impact could Storm Shadow Have?
Moscow has already taken precautions, as Kyiv has been long requesting for the use of long-range Western missiles on Russian territory.
To protest against Storm Shadow, Russia has relocated bombers, missiles and supporting infrastructure further away from the Ukrainian border.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has identified around 255 Russian bases within the range of Storm Shadows launched from Ukraine.
Sibylline’s Justin Crump, military analyst and former British Army officer has stated “This will make military logistics, command and control, and air support harder to deliver, and even if Russian aircraft pull back further from Ukraine’s frontiers to avoid the missile threat they will still suffer an increase in the time and costs per sortie to the front line”.
Matthew Savill, director of military science at the RUSI think tank, believes that it could create a challenge for Russia in positioning its air defences, potentially allowing Ukraine’s drones to penetrate more easily.
What has Putin said about Western support for Ukraine’s Storm Shadows?
President Putin sees the use of Storm Shadow as an escalation, he believes that Ukrainian troops rely on Western specialists to operate long-range missile systems.
He previously told reporters in Russia that “only servicemen of Nato countries can input flight missions into these missile systems”, adding that Kyiv was also dependent on satellite intelligence supplied by the Western to choose targets.
While the Ukrainian presidential office spokesperson refused to comment on Putin’s allegation stating that could not reveal “special technical details regarding weapons”.
Justin Crump raised doubts about the accuracy of Putin’s claim, stating “that claim were true, then Russia would have made it more clearly when the weapons were first supplied, and when they conducted successful and impactful operations against for example the Black Sea Fleet HQ in occupied Crimea”.
He added, “The missile is available for export sales; is Russia seriously saying that any buyer would have to have a Nato/UK team to program and use the missile? That must presumably be buried deep in the fine print of the brochure, and wouldn’t make it an appealing prospect”.