British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles have been used in a strike on a command post in the Russia’s Kursk region, where Vladimir Putin has brought in North Korean troops to fend off Ukraine’s attacks
Storm Shadow missiles supplied by Britain in deadly strike by Ukraine
Missiles supplied by Britain have killed eight Russian troops and wounded 22 in a deadly strike by Ukraine on a key command post, local reports say.
The strike on the Kursk region by half a dozen Ukrainian-deployed Storm Shadow missiles is the latest blow to Vladimir Putin in his struggle to repel Ukrainian troops from within his own border. Footage shows the strike on Lgov targeting a building used by Russian servicemen.
The hit was initially believed to have been carried out using US-supplied HIMARS missiles, but later evidence indicates it was Storm Shadow, the type of missile supplied by the UK to the Ukrainians last year. France also supplies a similar SCALP-EG missile.
One civilian was also wounded in the strike, independent Russian news outlet Astra media reported. Ukrainian journalist Yuriy Butusov said the strike hit the intended target in Lgov ahead of the New Year. He said: “A fire has started. The guys are all in the bunker; there are a lot of people”
Kursk’s acting governor Alexander Khinstein had reported shelling in Lgov. Ukraine still holds hundreds of square miles of Putin’s Kursk region, despite the use of thousands of North Koreans to seek to dislodge Lviv’s armed forces.
Last week, Ukraine captured its first North Korean prisoner of war fighting for Vladimir Putin. A photograph allegedly shows the Kim Jong-un fighter who was believed to have been held in Russia’s Kursk region. South Korea’s National Intelligence Service confirmed a POW had been taken by Ukraine soon after the picture emerged.
It has since been reported the soldier has died. They said: “Through real-time information sharing with a friendly nation’s [Ukraine’s] intelligence organisation, [we] confirmed the capture of a wounded North Korean soldier and plans to thoroughly examine the subsequent development.”
In his New Year’s address last night, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky thanked his nation for their continued fight against “the evil that Russia has brought us”, and vowed that 2025 would be the “year of Ukraine”. He added: “We know that peace will not be given to us as a gift. But we will do everything to stop Russia and end the war. This is what each of us wishes for.”
Vladimir Putin’s speech meanwhile celebrated his 25 years in power and touted his army’s efforts in Ukraine. “On this New Year’s Eve, the thoughts, hopes of relatives and friends, millions of people across Russia are together with our fighters and commanders”, he said.
Next month will mark three years since the beginning of Putin’s ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine. British intelligence sources say that Russia has so far lost 750,000 troops in the war, with the figure expected to exceed one million in the first half of this year.
