By Athena Papakosta

Kiev fired British missiles Storm Shadow in Russia. So far neither the UK nor Ukraine have confirmed the use of the long-range missiles on Russian soil. However, photos posted on the Telegram platform by Russian user accounts show fragments of a Storm Shadow missile in the vicinity of Kursk in the west Russia.

The UK had made it clear that British tanks, anti-tank missiles and other military equipment supplied to the Ukrainian armed forces could only be used as part of Ukrainian defense and until yesterday banned the use of long-range missiles for strikes deep in Russian territory.

The decision, however, of the outgoing president of the United States, Joe Bidento lift restrictions and green light the use of US long-range missiles by Ukraine changed the data.

Kiev has already hit, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Bryansk region with six ATACMS missiles, which did not cause any injuries. At the same time, in yet another policy change, Washington also approves the supply of anti-personnel mines to Ukraine.

So far, Moscow is keeping its cards closed. It may have revised its nuclear doctrine by lowering the threshold for nuclear use, however, regarding the use of Storm Shadow missiles it has made no comment or position.

According to military analysts, the Ukrainian inventory of Storm Shadows is low and their use will bring little effect. In fact, according to Sean Bell, military analyst of the British Sky News, it would be a surprise if Kiev really used the Storm Shadows for the first time yesterday to strike deep into Russia, and this because, as he explained, the missiles in question are particularly effective against centers supply and control but also against ammunition depots.

Storm Shadows, like ATACMS, have a range of up to 300 kilometers. Each rocket weighs 1.3 tonnes, is at least five meters long and costs around two million pounds to build. They were first used in Iraq in 2003, while they have also been used in Libya in 2011 as well as against Islamic State targets in Syria.

The same missiles are also used by the French armed forces under the name SCALP and are manufactured by the Franco-British arms manufacturer MBDA in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England. Their construction actually began, initially, as a project between the United Kingdom and France in the mid-1990s.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been urging his Western allies for at least a year to allow Ukrainian armed forces to strike the Russian Federation deeper than the border with Ukraine.

The outgoing US president’s policy shift, which has – predictably – dragged the UK along, according to war experts, is linked to Moscow bolstering its armed forces by deploying troops from North Korea.

Now Washington is also set to announce a new $275 million military aid package to Ukraine, with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stressing that it will include anti-personnel mines in a bid to keep the package coverage of Kiev’s defense needs.

Russia earlier this week launched one of its biggest attacks on Ukraine in three months, and amid fears of an even bigger airstrike, Western embassies suspended operations in the Ukrainian capital on Wednesday. And Kiev may have gotten away with it yesterday, however, the message, experts say, was sent as Moscow prepares to have a strong position at the negotiating table with the newly elected president of the United States, Donald Trump.

Donald Trump himself has not yet made a public statement. However, his selection to head the White House Security Council, Mike Walsh, heralded yet another escalation step that no one knows where it will lead. For his part, the representative of the State Department, Matthew Miller, emphasized that “when the new president takes office, he will be able to make decisions himself.”