The UK gave Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine’s armed forces earlier in the year. They are able to be fired by Ukrainian aircraft, with a range of more than 150 miles.
Ukraine used British cruise missiles in a significant attack against the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in occupied Crimea, Sky News understands.
A Russian submarine and warship were damaged in the pre-dawn barrage on the Sevastopol shipyard – potentially the largest strike against Russian naval targets of the war.
A Ukrainian and a Western source said that British Storm Shadow cruise missiles were deployed.
Images on social media captured explosions and flames ripping through the shipyard against a night sky in the very early hours of Wednesday morning.
Russia said 10 cruise missiles were fired against the facility, with seven being shot down by air defences. It said an attack by three unmanned boats was also thwarted.
Ukraine confirmed it struck Russian naval targets and port infrastructure in the city of Sevastopol, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, but has not officially said how.
However, Lieutenant General Mykola Oleschuk, the head of the Ukrainian Air Force, posted an image on his Telegram channel of the burning shipyard, with the caption: “And while the occupiers are ‘storming’ and they are still recovering from the night cotton [Ukrainian slang for explosions] in Sevastopol, thank you to the pilots of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for their excellent combat work!”
The UK gave Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine’s armed forces earlier in the year. They are able to be fired by Ukrainian aircraft, with a range of more than 150 miles.