Former British Defense Minister Grant Shapps called on the government to lift restrictions on Ukraine's use of Storm Shadow missiles to strike targets on Russian territory.
Points of attention
- Grant Shapps called on the British government to allow Ukraine to use Storm Shadow missiles to attack Russia because of the latest acts of Russian aggression towards Ukraine.
- The use of long-range weapons by Ukrainian allies on the territory of the Russian Federation can increase the effectiveness of strikes and undermine confidence in London as an ally of Kyiv.
- Shapps also called on other countries, in particular the United States, to authorize the use of Storm Shadow missiles for Ukraine, pointing out that the effectiveness of the strikes depends on Washington's support.
- The use of the Storm Shadow missile against targets on the territory of the Russian Federation requires joint action with the American HARM and MALD missiles for maximum effectiveness.
Why Ukraine should hit the Russian Federation with Storm Shadow missiles
As Grant Shapps pointed out, against the background of the latest Russian air attacks on Ukrainian cities, in particular with the use of guided aerial bombs, "we urgently need to approve the use of our long-range weapons on the territory of Russia."
We know that many attacks originate from the territory of Russia. However, in addition to our permission to strike Crimea with British missiles, we still avoid allowing our Ukrainian allies to hit the sources of these attacks, - emphasizes the former official.
According to the former defense minister of Great Britain, the lack of permission for Ukraine to use Storm Shadow "where they could be most effective" undermines the trust in London as an ally of Kyiv.
If you continue to kill men, women and children with guided aerial bombs launched from Russian territory, we will force the international community to allow the use of our long-range missiles to destroy your launchers wherever they are located - even on Russian territory, Shapps added.
The former minister also called on the British government to urge France, the US and a "more cautious" Germany to lift restrictions on the use of long-range weapons for Ukraine and to issue a clear ultimatum to Putin: stop attacks on Ukraine or we will support Ukraine's response.
In recent weeks, Ukraine has been actively urging allies to lift all restrictions on their long-range weapons strikes against Russia, explaining that this would allow them to target, in particular, aircraft that launch cruise missiles and guided air bombs.
Why does the effectiveness of Storm Shadow attacks on targets on the territory of the Russian Federation depend on the United States
Great Britain and France can give permission for Storm Shadow strikes on Russian territory as much as they want, but if the US does not allow the use of its HARM and MALD missiles, the Ukrainians will probably just waste valuable weapons, the journalists say.
The authors of the publication emphasize that the Storm Shadow missile itself is limited in its application.
It is recalled that in some cases Storm Shadow was used precisely together with the American HARM and MALD missiles.
HARMs either destroy Russian defense radars or cause them to shut down, while MALDs ensure that all radars that are operational will have signals on their screens and the Russians will not know which ones are Storm Shadows... Both HARMs and MALDs are manufactured in the USA, and that is why all eyes are now directed at Washington, - the material emphasizes.
