UK ministers seek approval for Ukraine’s Storm Shadow use on Russia
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The Times newspaper says many governments have been hesitant to approve the use of long-range weapons capable of reaching Russian towns and villages.
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The Storm Shadow cruise missile is on display during the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, north of Paris, France, on June 19, 2023. (AP)
The UK Defense Ministry allows Ukraine to use UK weapons in its offensive in Russia's Kursk Region, a ministry spokesperson announced.
"There has been no change in UK Government policy, under Article 51 of the UN Charter Ukraine has a clear right of self-defense against Russia’s illegal attacks, that does not preclude operations inside Russia," the spokesperson said on Wednesday, as quoted by The Independent newspaper, adding that "we make clear during the gifting process that equipment is to be used in line with international law."
At the same time, the use of Storm Shadow missiles will not be allowed outside of Ukraine's borders as recognized by London, he maintained.
The comes as UK ministers are reportedly attempting to convince allies to permit Ukraine to deploy the Storm Shadow cruise missiles, which have been supplied to Kiev, for strikes within Russian territory, according to The Times newspaper.
In July, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that the new UK government had authorized the use of Storm Shadows for deep strikes in Russia.
But The Telegraph later reported that the UK Ministry of Defense denied claims that the government had granted Ukraine permission to target Russian territory with these missiles.
The Times indicated that many governments have been hesitant to approve the use of long-range weapons capable of reaching Russian towns and villages due to concerns over potential escalation.
This comes as Zelensky claimed on Wednesday that the Ukrainian armed forces had "advanced well" in Russia's Kursk region.
The Ukrainian armed forces launched on August 6 a large-scale incursion into Russia's Kursk border region, capturing dozens of areas.
"Today we have advanced well in the Kursk region. We are achieving our strategic goal," Zelensky said in his evening address.
Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said Ukraine would create a "buffer zone" in the region to prevent Russian cross-border strikes.
"The creation of a buffer zone in the Kursk region is a step to protect our border communities from daily hostile shelling," he said.
The governor of the Kursk region declared a state of emergency following an incursion by Ukrainian forces, which reportedly penetrated at least 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) into Russian territory, capturing 28 towns and villages.
But Zelensky claimed Tuesday that Ukraine now controls 74 settlements in Kursk, noting that the cross-border offensive was "purely a security issue," capturing "areas from which the Russian army struck at our Sumy region."
Putin orders 'dislodging' Ukrainian forces
On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the military to "dislodge" Ukrainian forces that had entered Russian territory.
According to regional governor Alexei Smirnov, approximately 121,000 people have fled Kursk since the onset of the fighting, which has claimed the lives of at least 12 civilians and injured 121 others, as he reported in a meeting with Putin.
Kursk authorities announced on Monday the expansion of their evacuation zone to include the Belovsky district, home to around 14,000 residents.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it had repelled Ukrainian attempts to push further into five areas of the region.
"The attempts by enemy mobile units using armored equipment to break through deeper into Russian territory have been repelled," it said.
The governor of the neighboring region of Belgorod, where 11,000 people have been evacuated, also declared a state of emergency on Wednesday, describing the situation as "extremely difficult" amid ongoing Ukrainian bombardment in the border area.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Georgiy Tykhy on Tuesday said Kiev was not interested in "taking over" Russian territory and defended Ukraine's actions as "absolutely legitimate".
"The sooner Russia agrees to restore a just peace... the sooner the raids by the Ukrainian defenses forces into Russia will stop," he told reporters.
Ukraine announced plans to "open humanitarian corridors" in captured territories to facilitate civilian evacuations either toward Russia or Ukraine.
Additionally, Ukrainian authorities stated they would allow "international humanitarian organizations" to access the area and have set up a hotline for Russians seeking evacuation.
Footage broadcast by Ukraine’s TSN news, reportedly from the Kursk town of Sudzha, shows Ukrainian soldiers atop a building removing a Russian flag while chanting "Glory to Ukraine!"
Read more: Ukraine suffering massive losses in Kursk offensive, Russia says
