Ukraine’s military has for the first time confirmed the use of British-made Storm Shadow missiles inside Russian territory, and senior military sources, cleared to brief the media, called the strike “very successful”.
The same sources, talking to the media on condition of anonymity, said Ukraine’s military needs more long-range missiles, including Storm Shadow and ATACMS, and importantly, they need permission to fire the weapons at any target of their choosing within Russia.
Ukraine is currently limited to targets in the Kursk region only.
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The briefing came the day after the Russian military fired what Vladimir Putin referred to as a new type of ballistic missile at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.
The sources said they are talking to Britain and the United States about acquiring an air-defence system capable of intercepting more advanced types of missiles.
They said they believe such a system does exist, despite President Putin asserting that existing missile defence systems won’t be able to intercept their newest types.
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North Korean troops taking to battlefield
The official revealed that the 11,000 North Korean troops currently inside the Kursk region arrived with seven generals, their own artillery, and Grad multiple rocket launchers.
It was previously understood that North Korea had only sent infantry to Russia.
These senior military sources also confirmed that the North Korean troops are still training, although a few may have already been integrated into Russian units.
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They expect all the troops to be on the battlefield in the coming days.
‘Russia’s aim has always been Kyiv’
In this wide-ranging briefing, these senior military sources say they are very concerned about a noticeable increase in air attacks on Kyiv, so much so that a separate air defence brigade has been created specifically to protect the capital.
The official said: “Russia’s aim from the very beginning has always been Kyiv.”
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The targeting of Ukrainian cities by Russian missiles and drones has intensified in recent weeks.
And the Ukrainian military has also bolstered air defences in other major cities in Ukraine, including Sumy and Kharkiv.
:: Stuart Ramsay reports from Ukraine with Dominique van Heerden and Azad Safarov
