More missiles and attack drones are headed for Ukraine. U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made the announcement after meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Monday, May 15. The Ukrainian leader is traveling to several European countries, meeting with heads of state and shoring up military alliances.
Zelenskyy is trying to get more Western weapons to Ukraine so his military can make use of them in its upcoming spring counteroffensive. Like it did with tanks, the U.K. is leading Western nations in giving Ukraine truly long-range weapons like the Storm Shadow cruise missiles. Storm Shadows were immediately put into service by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
When a Storm Shadow missile is launched from a plane, it has a range of around 150 miles. It’s a great weapon to attack Russian command posts, supply depots, and artillery positions which are typically located deep behind enemy lines.
Just a few days after receiving Storm Shadow cruise missiles, the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported it destroyed at least 48 Russian artillery systems. More than 100 Russian artillery systems have been destroyed since May 8, according to Kyiv as reported by Newsweek.
Evidence of Storm Shadows being used in the Luhansk started showing up on social media on May 12 and May 13. By May 15, the Russian Ministry of Defense was claiming it shot down a Storm Shadow cruise missile. This claim could not be independently verified.
Sunak’s office did confirm the new U.K. aid package to Ukraine would include hundreds more air-defense missiles and long-range attack drones. Russia said the U.K. giving Ukraine Storm Shadows was an “extremely aggressive” act that would cause a serious escalation of the situation. The British prime minister responded by pledging the U.K.’s long-term support to Ukraine.
The British are leading other European nations in support of Ukraine. In fact, in some ways, British support even outpaces American support. The most recent U.S. aid package to Ukraine, signed in December and worth $48 billion, will be out of funds by midsummer.
It’s likely Congress will pass another aid package to keep funds and weapons flowing to Ukraine, but it’s no guarantee given the state of both the U.S. economy and political landscape.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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