Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky said in July that the new UK government allowed Ukraine to use Storm Shadows for deep-territory strikes on Russia. The UK media later reported that the UK Ministry of Defense refuted claims that the country's government allowed Ukraine to use Storm Shadow missiles to strike inside Russian territory.
According to The Times, governments have been reluctant so far to allow Ukraine to use long-range weapons possibly capable of hitting Russian towns and villages because of the risk of escalation.
On August 6, Ukrainian forces crossed the border into Russia and launched an offensive in the Kursk Region. Commenting on the attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Ukraine had carried out another large-scale provocation, firing indiscriminately at civilian targets. The enemy will receive a proper response in the border regions of Russia, Putin added.
On Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry said Ukrainian troops had lost up to 2,300 servicemen and 37 tanks during the offensive in the Kursk Region.
Russia has been conducting a special military operation in Ukraine since February 24, 2022. President Vladimir Putin has said the operation aims to "protect people subjected to genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years." According to the president, the ultimate goal of the operation is to liberate Donbas and create conditions that guarantee Russia's security.
Russia earlier sent a note to NATO because of arms supplies to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said any cargo that contains weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russia.