Ukraine used British Storm Shadow missiles to attack shipyards in Crimea?

On September 13, Sky News cited unnamed sources in the West and Ukraine as saying that Storm Shadow missiles supplied by London to Kiev earlier this year were used to attack a shipyard in Crimea. This statement has not been officially confirmed.

Early on September 13, three unidentified missiles struck the Ordzhonikidze ship repair facility in Sevastopol, damaging a landing ship and a submarine currently in dry dock and causing a fire at the facility. Four of the 24 people injured in the attack are said to be in critical condition.

The Russian Defense Ministry did not describe the missiles involved, saying only that there were 10, of which seven were intercepted. Ukraine quickly claimed responsibility for the attack but did not specify what type of weapon was used.

“It was Storm Shadow,” an unnamed source told Sky News, which described the attack as “audacious”.

The channel also quoted Admiral Ben Key, the head of the Royal Navy, when he was asked about the attack at the London arms show. Mr. Key praised Ukraine's "innovative thinking and willingness to take risks" as well as "some really significant adjustments in tactics, technology and capabilities." However, he did not comment on the information related to the Storm Shadow missile, nor did the British Ministry of Defense.

In May, Britain confirmed it had supplied Ukraine with air-launched cruise missiles with a range of up to 300 km. London said Kiev had promised not to attack Russian territory with the weapons, but made it clear that this did not apply to Crimea, Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson or Zaporozhye, regions that Ukraine claims as its own.

Days after the announcement, Ukraine launched Storm Shadows missiles at civilian targets in Lugansk and a bridge in northern Crimea. On May 15, the Russian military announced that it had intercepted the West’s latest “miracle weapon” for the first time.

Russian long-range missiles targeted Ukrainian air bases and a depot believed to be housing British missiles in late June. The use of Storm Shadows dropped sharply afterward, while Kiev began requesting Taurus missiles from Germany, leading to widespread speculation of a missile shortage.

While the Russian Defense Ministry did not provide many details about the September 13 attack, a military blog claimed that the missiles were launched by Ukrainian SU-24M bombers flying over the Black Sea. Five of the missiles were said to have been shot down by Pantsir air defense systems, one by the S-400 system and another by a MiG-31 fighter jet, but three of them hit the shipyard.