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.
‘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.
‘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.
