MOSCOW, September 15. /TASS/. Ukrainian Presidential Office head’s advisor Mikhail Podolyak claims that the country’s armed forces are using Ukrainian-made weapons and equipment for attacks on Russia’s Crimean Peninsula.
"We are using Ukrainian equipment and weapons for the purpose," he said in an interview to Ukraine’s Channel 24.
Podolyak rejected a report by Sky News, suggesting that the armed forces of Ukraine used UK-made Storm Shadow missiles for their recent attack on the Crimean city of Sevastopol.
According to earlier reports, the Ukrainian government undertook not to use western weapons for attacks on the Russian territory. However, this did not at all prevent the armed forces of Ukraine from using it against Russian cities, but forced Kiev to be more cautious in its comments on the issue. Due to this, Ukrainian officials also deny the country’s involvement in any strike on Russia. Even if they do admit Kiev’s role, they often remain tight-lipped on types of weapons used for the purpose and other details.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Ukraine fired ten cruise missiles at the shipyard and seven were intercepted by air defense systems. The Ukrainian forces also used three uncrewed boats against a detachment of Black Sea fleet ships in the Black Sea. The patrol ship The Vasily Bykov destroyed all uncrewed boats. The enemy cruise missiles hit two warships undergoing repairs. The Defense Ministry said both ships would be repaired and rejoin their fleets. In this regard, Sky News wrote with reference to Western and Ukrainian officials that UK-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles were used for the attack.
In May, the then British defense secretary, Ben Wallace, confirmed that London had transferred Storm Shadow missiles with a range of about 250 kilometers to Ukraine. The Russian embassy in Britain has not yet commented to TASS on reports that Storm Shadow missiles were used in the attack on the Sevastopol shipyard. Earlier, the embassy said that the supply of ever more long-range weapons to the Kiev authorities showed that London was openly involved in the conflict in Ukraine.