With its counter-offensive looming, Ukraine may choose to employ its Storm Shadows against targets that have a more immediate impact on the battlefield.įinally, targeting decisions may also incorporate a political dimension. In this case, the Ukrainian armed forces will attempt to make every missile count. Ukraine will likely only receive a limited number of Storm Shadows initially, especially if the UK remains the sole supplier. Ukraine could choose to engage command posts, logistical facilities, ammunition depots and other high-value targets behind the frontline that are less-well defended and where a successful strike is more certain.
So far, the limited range of Ukraine’s other weapon systems and heavy Russian defences around the Kerch strait have prevented a coordinated strike on the bridge. Losing the bridge would constitute a major setback to Russia’s armed forces and an important symbolic defeat for Vladimir Putin. The Kerch Bridge is an important logistical node in Russian military planning and is critical to mRussia’s resupply efforts in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region. This also includes Crimea and the Kerch Bridge that links the annexed Peninsula to the Russian mainland. In any case, the missile will allow the Ukrainian armed forces to strike targets virtually anywhere in the country, denying Russian forces sanctuary on its territory. Storm Shadow, a land-attack cruise missile, has a range of 250-400 km, depending on the variant, though the version delivered to Ukraine is likely to be at the lower end of this scale.
Britain is sending Ukraine Storm Shadow missiles in a significant upgrade to Kyiv’s arsenal, allowing it to hit targets that have long been out of reach, including the Crimea bridge.
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