Russian air defense systems intercepted two UK-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles over the past 24 hours, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported on Thursday.
"Air defense systems shot down two UK-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles, six US-made HIMARS rockets, and 67 fixed-wing drones," the ministry stated.
Earlier, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov commented on Bloomberg's report about the use of Storm Shadow missiles targeting the Kursk region, calling it a new escalation.
"This is a new escalation. It is a very irresponsible stance taken by the outgoing [US President Joe Biden’s] administration," Peskov said in response to journalists' questions about the Kremlin's assessment of the situation, particularly in light of confirmed data on the use of ATACMS missiles against targets in Russia.
On Wednesday, The Times reported citing UK government sources that the US is expected to approve Ukraine’s use of British long-range Storm Shadow missiles for strikes deep into Russian territory, as Washington no longer objects to their deployment.
Previously, The New York Times reported referencing unnamed US administration officials that Biden had for the first time authorized Ukraine to use long-range American missiles to strike Russian territory. According to the sources, the initial strikes on Russian territory would likely involve ATACMS missiles. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell confirmed that such authorization applies to strikes within a 300-kilometer radius in Russia.
Peskov declined to answer whether Russia had verified the use of British Storm Shadow missiles against its territory, though some media outlets have reported on such strikes.
"I wouldn’t want to comment further on matters that fall under the purview of our Defense Ministry," the Kremlin representative explained.
On Tuesday, Russia’s Ministry of Defense reported that Ukrainian forces launched ATACMS missiles at Russia’s Bryansk region during the night of November 19. Five missiles were intercepted by Pantsir and S-400 systems, while one was damaged.