Russia has admitted that British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles are causing a major problem to Vladimir Putin’s forces.
Yevgeny Balitsky, Moscow-appointed head of the occupied Zaporizhzhia region in Ukraine, said the weapons are causing ‘trouble’ and are even more problematic for the Kremlin’s armies than the US-supplied HIMARS systems.
His words confirm the impression that the long-range Storm Shadow has been a game changer for the Ukrainians as Kyiv launches its counteroffensive.
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‘They certainly give us trouble with their missiles, I must say, especially Storm Shadow,’ said Balitsky.
‘We’ve somehow learned how to shoot down [US-supplied] HIMARS.
‘But the [British-supplied] Shadow ones are even harder. They arrive, and have a bigger radius. So it’s a problem for us.
‘In fact, our air defence is having a hard time with [Storm Shadow].
‘It shoots them down, but there’s only a 50 per cent chance of the missiles being shot down.’
He added: ‘Out of four, three have recently reached us.’
Sometimes two make it. The missile is modern, although it is not the newest, but it is fast enough, it flies properly.
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‘I mean, at different speeds, at varying altitudes, changing modes, so it is not easy to shoot down.’
Britain announced the supply of Anglo-French-designed Storm Shadows to Ukraine on May 11, answering a long-time demand from Kyiv for long-range missiles to help defend their territory against Putin’s invading armies.
This week there were reports that a Storm Shadow missile killed Major-General Sergey Goryachev, 52, in a strike in the Zaporizhzhia region.
Other senior Russian officers are also believed to have been killed.