It has been reported that a deadly attack on a Ukrainian city held by Russian forces employed long-range missiles provided by the UK.
Ukrainian aircraft bombarded two industrial locations in the Russian-controlled city of Luhansk on Friday.
The attack was carried out by British Storm Shadow cruise missiles, according to the Russian Ministry of Defence.
The shelling in eastern Ukraine, about 60 kilometres behind Russian borders, severely damaged a meat-processing industry and a chemical plant.
The Russian ministry said: ‘Storm Shadow air-to-air missiles supplied to the Kyiv regime by Britain were used for the strike, contrary to London’s statements that these weapons would not be used against civilian targets.’
It also claimed Russia had shot down two Ukrainian warplanes – an Su-24 and a MiG-29 – that had launched the missiles.
Britain became the first country to confirm it had started supplying Kyiv with long-range missiles on Thursday.
A batch of the missiles were sent to allow forces to hit Russian troops and supply dumps deep beyond the front lines as Ukraine prepares a major counteroffensive.
British defence minister Ben Wallace said the missiles could be used within Ukrainian territory, implying he had received assurances from president Volodymyr Zelensky that they would not be used to attack targets inside Russia’s internationally accepted borders.
Mr Wallace told parliament earlier this week the weapons will give Ukraine the ‘best chance’ of defending itself and highlighted Russia’s deliberate targeting of civilians as the reason why the missiles have been supplied.
He said: ‘Russia must recognise that its actions alone have led to such systems being provided.’
The Storm Shadow cruise missiles have a range of more than 155 miles, according to the manufacturer, in contrast to the US-supplied Himars missiles used by Ukraine which only have a range of around 50 miles.
Previously, the Kremlin said that if Britain provided these missiles it would require ‘an adequate response from our military’.
Russia’s ministry also claimed forces had gained control over another block in the eastern city of Bakhmut, which Moscow has been trying to capture for more than 10 months in an attritional artillery battle.
It added: ‘The units of the Airborne Forces provided support to the assault units and pinned down the enemy on the flanks.’
The ministry often uses the term ‘assault units’ to denote the Wagner private militia, which has been spearheading the assault on Bakhmut at great cost in casualties.
Russia also reportedly attacked the Ukrainian city of Ternopil as the country’s Eurovision act – who hail from the city – were about to perform last night.