A Storm Shadow missile inside the Royal Air Force museum in London. By Wikimedia user (Rept0n1x).
The United Kingdom is sending Ukraine additional Storm Shadow cruise missiles to strengthen its long-range strike capabilities ahead of winter, Bloomberg reported on October 15.
The transfer was discussed during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s October 14 visit to London, where he met British Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
Bloomberg cited people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity because the shipment has not been publicly announced. According to the report, British officials oppose restricting Ukraine’s ability to strike targets inside Russia.
Neither the number of missiles being transferred nor their expected delivery date has been disclosed, and the British government declined to comment.
Manufactured by European defense company MBDA, the Storm Shadow is an air-launched cruise missile weighing approximately 1,300 kilograms and measuring 5.1 meters in length. It has a range exceeding 250 kilometers and carries a warhead designed to penetrate hardened targets, including bunkers and fortified infrastructure.
The missile’s navigation combines inertial guidance, GPS and terrain-reference systems, while an infrared seeker helps identify the target during the final stage of flight. Ukraine operates the weapon from modified Soviet-made Su-24 fighter-bombers.
Britain has supplied Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine since 2023, and Ukrainian forces began using them against military targets inside Russia in November 2024. The missile’s broader strategic impact has been limited.
The new shipment highlights the widening divide between London and Washington over how Ukraine should prosecute the conflict.
The Trump administration has pressured Kyiv to halt attacks on Russian oil refineries, reportedly threatening to suspend intelligence sharing if further strikes continued. Zelenskyy has meanwhile condemned Washington’s approach to Russia and signaled that Ukraine would continue refinery attacks.
By replenishing Ukraine’s Storm Shadow stocks, Britain is reinforcing Kyiv’s ability to conduct long-range attacks at a time when the Trump administration is trying to curb them.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence
NOW hosted at southfront.press
Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.
The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation
Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com