Ukrainian aircraft fired British-French cruise missiles at Russian troops attempting to advance towards a key city in eastern Ukraine, a Ukrainian security source has told Sky News.
The source shared drone footage that purportedly shows strikes on what he described as “two command centres of massive troops formations slowly advancing on Pokrovsk”.
Details about whether any Russian military personnel were killed or wounded were not immediately clear.
The attack took place at 11am on Friday in the town of Avdiivka, which was captured by Russian forces in February.
The source said Russian commanders had been pouring troops, military equipment and supplies into the occupied areas of Donetsk as part of their offensive towards the key logistics hub of Pokrovsk.
“The Ukrainian Armed Forces used Storm Shadow/Scalp missiles, gifted by Western nations,” the source said.
Storm Shadow is the name given by Britain to the UK-Franco manufactured munition. The French call it Scalp.
Travelling just under the speed of sound, it is an effective weapon against well-protected buildings.
Ukraine has been urging the UK and other allies to allow its military to use longer-range missiles like Storm Shadow against targets inside Russia, rather than restricting their use to within Ukraine.
The UK appears to be willing to say yes but is waiting for the US to agree as well.
US President Joe Biden has yet to give the green light amid warnings from Russia that Moscow would regard such a move as direct involvement by NATO countries in the war.
Vladimir Putin has even hinted that it might even justify a nuclear response.
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A Storm Shadow cruise missile on display at the Paris Air Show in June 2023 Pic: AP
The UK, US and other allies have accused the Russian president of being a bully and have advised against limiting their support to Ukraine because of his threats.
Putin’s forces capture two key towns in Donetsk
Russian forces have been advancing on Pokrovsk as the eastern front remains the site of the most intensive fighting in the war, with Moscow’s troops having claimed a series of towns and villages in the Donetsk region in recent weeks.
That continued this week when Russian forces captured Vuhledar and Verkhnokamianske.
Vuhledar, around 50 miles from Pokrovsk, was a Ukrainian stronghold and soldiers there had resisted a Russian offensive for over two years.
Capturing it allows Russia to better protect its own logistic routes and gives them an improved vantage point for attacks on Ukrainian forces and supply lines.
It, along with Verkhnokamianske, is another notch in Russia’s belt and a step closer to Pokrovsk.