The Guardian newspaper reported that Ukrainian officials are planning to use the British-French Storm Shadow long-range missile in a demonstration attack to demonstrate to the Kremlin that military targets near the Russian capital Moscow have vulnerable to direct attack.
A senior Ukrainian official said that Russia may only consider negotiations if it perceives a real threat to Moscow and St. Petersburg. However, this strategy carries high risks and is not currently supported by the US.
Ukraine has been lobbying for months to be allowed to use Storm Shadow against targets inside Russia, but with little success. However, as the Ukrainian army struggles on the eastern front, there is growing belief that Kiev's best hope is to counterattack, The Guardian quoted Ukrainian officials as saying.
In his National Day speech, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to respond proportionately to Russia for missile attacks on civilian areas.
According to The Guardian, Kiev believes that demonstrating the Ukrainian army's ability to strike deep into Russian territory could cause the Kremlin to reevaluate its strategy.
The Storm Shadow missile is mainly developed by the UK and France and produced by the European joint venture MBDA. But because some components of the missile were provided by the US , the White House also had to agree to let Ukraine use it in Russia. However, up to now Washington still refuses to do so because of concerns that the conflict will escalate, The Guardian wrote.
US officials told Politico they believe the Storm Shadow missile and other long-range systems may lack accuracy at long distances. Russian warplanes, which have launched glide bombs into Ukraine's front-line areas, are mostly stationed outside missile range.
Moscow is located about 482 km from Ukraine's northern border. The Storm Shadow missile has a range of about 305 km, while both Britain and France have domestic versions with twice the range.
Politico noted that the US does not want to endanger its security. Allowing Ukrainian forces to strike deep into Russian territory could undermine any possibility of a reset in relations between Washington and Moscow.
Previously, the Pentagon announced that Ukraine had the right to attack Russian territory, but only in border areas under Russian shelling and within limited distances.
Over the past month, the US did not allow Ukrainian forces to use Storm Shadow missiles to attack Russian territory .
