Ukraine Suspected of Firing New Long-Range Missile from Britain

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Facts

  • Ukraine is believed to have started using a new long-range cruise missile delivered from Britain for the first time on Friday in a strike on the city of Luhansk — territory controlled by the pro-Russia Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) since 2014 — that reportedly injured six children and a Russian parliamentarian.1
  • Earlier this week, CNN revealed that the UK delivered multiple "Storm Shadow" cruise missiles — that can strike targets as far as 155 miles away — to Ukraine. Ben Wallace, Britain's defense minister, confirmed the shipment on Thursday, describing it as Ukraine's "best chance to defend themselves against Russia’s continued brutality."2
  • The delivery makes it the first time Kyiv has received much-sought-after long-range weapons, dramatically increasing its strike range, previously capped at roughly 50 miles with the US-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS).3
  • Analysts said that Luhansk's distance from the front lines — roughly 60 miles — suggested that Ukraine had used the long-range weaponry. However, Kyiv hasn't commented on the attack, and whether British long-range missiles were, in fact, used hasn't yet been independently confirmed.1
  • The Luhansk region was also struck in a further missile attack on Saturday, reportedly striking the village of Yuvileine on the outskirts of Luhansk. There were no reports of civilian casualties at this stage.4
  • Meanwhile, Russia's foreign ministry issued a statement condemning London's delivery of the weapons, describing it as "reckless" and "another extremely hostile step by London." It added: "The Russian side reserves the right to take all necessary measures to neutralize the threats that could arise in the event Ukraine utilizes the British missiles."5

Sources: 1Al Arabiya English, 2CNN, 3Guardian, 4Ukrainska Pravda, and 5TASS.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by CNN. These new long-range weapons are a game-changer for Ukraine, giving it the ability to strike Russian supply lines and logistics much deeper than it previously could. The risk of escalation is minimal as Kyiv has pledged not to strike within Russian territory.
  • Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by TASS. This is yet another severe escalation from London, and Moscow has the right the counteract any threats that arise from Ukraine having these weapons in any way necessary. It cannot idly sit by, letting the weapons strike its territory.

Predictions