What are the Franco-British Storm Shadow missiles fired by Ukraine against Russia?

This Wednesday, November 20, it was reported that Ukraine used longer-range Storm Shadow missiles against targets located within Russia .

The offensive took place one day after his forces fired missiles ATACMS American manufacturing versus Russian territory .

Earlier, on Sunday, it was announced that the president of USA For the first time, Joe Biden authorized Ukraine to use these projectiles for attacks inside Russia. .

According to officials in this country New York Times , the incorporation of troops North Korea in the Russian ranks contributed to making this decision .

Officials also said that the prime minister of United Kingdom Keir Starmer, chose to follow this line and authorized Ukraine to use Storm Shadow for attacks inside the country presided over by Vladimir Putin.

Ukrainian forces Previously, they could use both ATACMS and Storm Shadow, but only against positions within their own territory. .

The President of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelensky insisted for months so that their Western allies authorize the use of longer-range projectiles in order to be able to carry out attacks towards Russian territory.

The first offensive with ATACMS missiles occurred on November 19 towards a military installation in the region of Bryansk the same day that marked 1,000 days since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Shortly before said attack, On the same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin updated the nuclear doctrine from your country that is to say the document which establishes the conditions under which the use of nuclear weapons could be decided.

The recent update indicates that the Kremlin will consider aggression by any non-nuclear-weapon state, but with the participation of a nuclear country, as a joint attack on Russia .

The Storm Shadow missile attack took place on November 20 over the Russian region of Kursk as Ukrainian and Pentagon officials confirmed to Times.

An official who also spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed at Reuters that the offensive was carried out while a spokesperson for the Ukrainian General Staff consulted after the first reports said they still had no information on the subject.

A spokesperson for the British Prime Minister declined to comment. according to the aforementioned international news agency.

Various British media have cited sources who They confirm the Ukrainian attack with Storm Shadow missiles supplied by the United Kingdom. .

The attack This was also widely reported by Russian war correspondents. via Telegram.

It is good to remember that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022. .

For more than two and a half years that the war raged, The economic and military support of kyiv’s Western allies has been fundamental so that his forces could counter the Russian offensive.

The Storm Shadows are Franco-British cruise missiles built by the MBDA firm . The French call them SCALP.

According to data provided by the company, They weigh 1,300 kilos, have a length of 5.1 meters and a range of more than 250 kilometers. depending on the version.

These projectiles They are launched from planes . MBDA specifies that they can be operated from the Tornado, Rafale, Mirage 2000 and Eurofighter Typhoon.

“Storm Shadow / SCALP East a long-range aerial weapon with conventional armament and deep strike capability designed to meet the demanding requirements of pre-planned attacks against high-value fixed or stationary targets,” the company description states.

They add that it is “capable of operating in extreme conditions” and “provides operators with a highly flexible deep strike capability based on a sophisticated mission planning system.

According to information retrieved by the BBC they are considered a particularly effective weapon for penetrating reinforced bunkers and munitions depots, such as those used by Russia in the war against Ukraine.

Nevertheless, each missile is worth almost a million dollars, so they tend to be launched as part of a planned burst of cheaper projectiles which move forward to confuse and exhaust the adversary’s air defenses.

The military analyst, former British army officer and executive director of the consultancy Sibylline Justin Crump, explained to the aforementioned media that the Storm Shadow missiles were effective for Ukraine in precision strikes against targets positioned in occupied territory by Russian troops.

“It is not surprising that kyiv has pushed for its use in Russia, notably to attack airfields used to stage bomb attacks. gliders which have recently hampered Ukraine’s efforts on the front line,” he said.

Ukrainian forces now see one of their immediate priorities stop the Russian counter-offensive in the Kursk region located in western Russia.

This is where Ukraine began its cross-border incursions last August 6.

However, Their cities and front lines are also constantly bombarded. from Russia.

Storm Shadow missiles could allow them more effectively attack the bases from which these attacks are launched .

That’s it one of the reasons why Zelensky repeatedly insisted to its Western allies to allow the use on Russian territory of long-range projectiles, such as those mentioned and the American-made ATACMS.

It is reported that Russia has deployed some 50,000 Russian troops and some 10,000 North Korean recruits to carry out its counter-offensive at Kursk. .

Recent authorizations for the use of long-range missiles allow Ukraine to hit targets of interest such as key airfields and logistics centers inside Russia .

Although the recent permits meet a need that kyiv has repeatedly expressed for months, different analysts say that Russia had enough time to take precautions .

Among these are some like having moved bombers, missiles and part of its infrastructure to areas far from the border with Ukraine and at a distance beyond the range of missiles such as the Storm Shadow or ATACMS.

This postman wakes up doubts about whether these projectiles will have a truly significant impact on the battlefield.

Yet an analysis from the Washington-based think tank, Institute for the Study of War identified approximately 225 Russian bases that would be within range of the Storm Shadow .

Likewise, Crump proposed to BBC that Even if Russian troops have had time to adapt to the circumstances, the task is complex, given the extent of territory that could now be exposed. to Ukrainian attacks.

“This will make military logistics, command and control and air support more difficult to provide, and Even if Russian aircraft withdraw further from Ukraine’s borders to avoid the threat of missiles, they will still experience increased time and costs per departure to the front line. “.