Ukraine are using British missiles to cut off Russian supply, according to a Ukrainian MP.
It comes as the UK announced it will be providing ‘Storm Shadow’ cruise missiles to the war-stricken country as Russia ramps up its war offensive against Zelensky.
Speaking on GB News, Ukrainian MP Kira Rudik has praised Britain’s action, saying they have taken a “lead” by performing a “significant” action which will assist Ukraine’s war efforts.
She told Mark Longhurst how the long-range missiles will be used, confirming they will not be used on enemy territory.
Kira Rudik has outlined how Zelensky intends to use the cruise missiles
GB News / PA
Rudik said: “We are all thrilled in Ukraine by this news. This is a significant move for us.
“We have been saying we need long-range weapons and missiles for a long time now.
“Why do we need them? Russia uses temporarily occupied territories for their attacks on us and we need to be able to destroy their supplies and weapons in order to move forward.
“Once again, Britain is taking a lead on saying ‘yes’ to Ukraine and saying ‘yes’ to our asks and realising how crucial this will be to our success in our operation of liberating our country.”
Ukrainian is preparing to mount a counter-offensive ReutersThe weapons will give Ukrainians “the best chance to defend themselves”, according to Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.
He told the House of Commons: “Today I can confirm that the UK is donating Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine.
“Storm Shadow is a long-range, conventional-only, precision-strike capability. It complements the long-range systems already gifted, including Himars and Harpoon missiles, as well as Ukraine’s own Neptune cruise missile.”
He added: “The donation of these weapons systems gives Ukraine the best chance to defend themselves against Russia’s continued brutality, especially the deliberate targeting of Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, which is against international law.
“Ukraine has a right to be able to defend itself against this.”
The Storm Shadow missile has a range in excess of 150 miles, giving Kyiv the ability to strike behind the Russian front line, according to manufacturer MBDA.
Britain is understood to have received assurances that the missiles will only be used defensively against targets within Ukrainian territory being occupied by Vladimir Putin’s forces.
Wallace would not go into detail on the number of missiles that would be provided but said it is “currently enough to satisfy the Ukrainian demand for that capability”.
He also said the United States “have been incredibly supporting of the United Kingdom’s decision to do so”.
