An Anglo-French long-range missile, the Storm Shadow costs US$1 million per unit, is capable of hitting targets at 250 km and is now at the center of the escalation between Ukraine and Russia, raising suspicions about NATO’s role in the war
Ukraine fired UK-made Storm Shadow missiles at Russia, a day after launching US long-range ATACMS missiles, raising fears of a major escalation in the nearly three-year-old war.
Ukraine’s government has not yet confirmed Tuesday and Wednesday’s attacks, which come days after US President Joe Biden’s administration reportedly lifted restrictions on the use of American long-range weapons following lobbying by the president. Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The Ukrainian leader has been pressing his Western allies to allow the use of ATACMS, or Army Tactical Missile System, amid military gains by Russian forces in recent months. Kyiv has received more than $100 billion in aid from the West, including more than $61 billion from the US – the largest source of military aid for Ukraine.
Russia has warned that Ukraine’s use of long-range missiles to target Russian territory could result in escalation. On Thursday, the Ukrainian air force said Moscow had launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) against its territory. However, Moscow has not yet confirmed the allegation.
Where did the attack take place and does this mean an escalation in the war?
What happened?
“Two Storm Shadow cruise missiles, six HIMARS rockets [Sistema de Foguetes de Artilharia de Alta Mobilidade] and 67 unmanned aerial vehicles were neutralized by air defense systems,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Thursday, without sharing the location of the attack or information about damage caused.
Russian war correspondents posted videos on Telegram in which at least 14 explosions can be heard. Most of these explosions were preceded by a high-pitched whistle that resembles the sound of an approaching missile.
Videos show a plume of black smoke rising above what appears to be a residential area.
Reuters news agency reported that the pro-Russian channel Two Majors posted on Telegram that Ukraine fired up to 12 Storm Shadow missiles in Russia’s Kursk region, which borders Ukraine. The channel presented photos of parts of the missile where the name Storm Shadow was clearly visible.
Where did they hit?
Al Jazeera’s Sanad verification agency used geolocation to deduce that the attack took place in Maryino, a village in the Kursk region.
What are Storm Shadow missiles?
The Storm Shadow missile is a long-range Anglo-French cruise missile. It is dropped from military aircraft into the air rather than being launched from the ground. It is also known as the SCALP missile.
The missiles are manufactured in the UK and produced using US components. They can hit targets up to 250 km (155 miles) away.
Each missile costs around US$1 million. In May 2023, the United Kingdom confirmed that it had sent Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine under the condition that they would only be used on its own territory against Russian forces. Western countries have supported Ukraine since Russia invaded its neighbor in February 2022.
According to Ukrainian media, the Storm Shadow had already been used in Crimea, annexed by Russia. However, this is the first time that Ukraine has used these weapons inside Russian territory.
Why were they implemented now?
Permission to use long-range weapons came after the United States, Ukraine and South Korea said North Korean troops had been sent to the Kursk region. A part of Kursk was taken by Ukrainian forces during an incursion that began in August.
Washington, Kyiv and Seoul said 12,000 North Korean troops had been sent to Russia. Furthermore, they accused Pyongyang of supplying weapons to Moscow. Moscow and Pyongyang have not yet officially confirmed the military deployment. The two countries signed a mutual defense pact in June, during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s official visit to North Korea.
“The goal of these Western nations is to support Ukraine, particularly in the area of Russia that Ukraine occupied, Kursk,” according to Al Jazeera diplomatic correspondent James Bays.
How did we get here?
The US secretly sent long-range missiles to Ukraine in March 2023 and imposed the same conditions of use as the UK did with the Storm Shadows.
Recently, there were indications that Ukraine’s allies would lift restrictions.
In September, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his British counterpart, Foreign Secretary David Lammy, visited Kyiv and met with Zelenskyy. Thanking the officials for the visit, Zelenskyy posted on his X account: “It is important that Ukrainian arguments are heard. This includes long-range weapons.”
Did Russia react?
The Russian Defense Ministry said it shot down two Storm Shadow missiles. On Tuesday, the ministry said Ukraine fired US-made ATACMS in the Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine and Kursk.
The Russian president warned Western allies that if they allow Ukraine to attack inside Russia with these missiles, it will mean that NATO is “at war” with Russia.
When asked whether the lifting of restrictions means NATO has entered the war, Keir Giles, senior advisory fellow at the London-based think tank Chatham House, told Al Jazeera: “No, absolutely not. NATO is not a party to this conflict.”
He added that the threat was a way for Putin to carry out “information warfare to prevent escalation.”
Tensions rose this week as the 1,000th day of the war passed.
On Tuesday, Putin officially lowered the threshold for Russia’s use of nuclear weapons. These changes were first announced in September.
Regarding Tuesday’s ATACMS attack, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said: “This is, of course, a sign that they want to escalate.”
Speaking at a press conference during the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Brazil, Lavrov accused Washington of helping Kyiv operate the missiles and said: “We will consider this as a qualitatively new phase of the Western war against Russia. And we will react accordingly.” He did not go into further detail.
Russia launches ICBM
On Thursday, Russia launched an intercontinental ballistic missile, hitting businesses and critical infrastructure in the east-central Ukrainian city of Dnipro, according to Kyiv’s air force. If confirmed, this attack is the first time an ICBM has been used in warfare.
An ICBM is capable of carrying out a nuclear attack.
The Ukrainian online newspaper Ukrainska Pravda cited anonymous sources as saying that the missile fired was the RS-26 Rubezh. The RS-26 has a range of 5,800 km (3,604 miles), according to the Arms Control Association.
Russia has not commented on the attack.
Why are the UK and US helping Ukraine?
Giles, who is also the author of an upcoming book, Who Will Defend Europe?said that the United Kingdom and France were “wanting to remove restrictions on the use of weapons, but were prevented from doing so by the US”.
He added that the White House has not provided a coherent explanation for why it is lifting restrictions now, but there is speculation.
Biden gave Ukraine the go-ahead two months before Republican President-elect Donald Trump took office. Trump has promised to end the war, raising concerns about whether the US will reduce its military support.
With information from News Agencies*
Source: https://www.ocafezinho.com/2024/11/21/e-agora-ucrania-usa-misseis-da-otan-para-atacar-territorio-russo-entenda/
