On Saturday, Russia’s Defence Ministry said Ukrainian aircraft fired British-supplied Storm Shadow long-range cruise missiles against two industrial locations in Luhansk, a Russian-held city in eastern Ukraine.
Reuters could not corroborate combat accounts.
Britain was the first to equip Kyiv with long-range cruise missiles on Thursday, allowing it to attack Russian troops and supply dumps behind the front lines as it plans a major counter-offensive.
British Defence Minister Ben Wallace said the missiles might be used in Ukraine, meaning Kyiv had assured him they would not hit targets inside Russia’s internationally recognized boundaries.
On Friday, the Russian government claimed the missiles damaged a polymer facility and a meat-processing business in Luhansk.
“Storm Shadow air-to-air missiles supplied to the Kyiv regime by Britain were used for the strike, contrary to London’s statements that these weapons would not be used against civilian targets,” the ministry said.
Russia downed two Ukrainian jets, a Su-24 and a MiG-29, that launched the missiles.
The government also reported that Russian forces had taken control of another block in Bakhmut, which Moscow has been fighting for more than ten months in an attritional artillery battle.
“Airborne Forces units supported assault units and pinned down the enemy on the flanks,” it claimed.
The Wagner private militia, which led the Bakhmut attack at tremendous cost, is commonly called “assault units” by the ministry.
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