Britain appears to be moving closer to sending Ukraine longer-range missiles that the Biden administration has so far refused to provide.
Last week, the British Defense Ministry posted a procurement notice with the International Fund for Ukraine, a UK-led group of northern European countries that coordinates sending arms to Kyiv. The notice asked for an “expression of interest” in providing Ukraine with strike capabilities of up to 300 kilometers (186 miles).
A British official told The Washington Post that no final decision has been made and wouldn’t specify the type of munition London was considering sending. The range matches the UK’s Storm Shadow missiles, which previous reports have said Britain could provide Ukraine.
Storm Shadow missiles are air-launched and can be fired by Ukriane’s Soviet-made fighter jets. According to the Post, one of the Pentagon documents leaked to Discord showed that US intelligence confirmed that Britain plans to eventually send Storm Shadows to Ukraine, along with personnel to help with targeting data.
The Discord leak on Britain’s plans, which has not been previously reported, signals that the UK could significantly increase its role in the war by sending Storm Shadows if that means also sending troops to help with targeting. According to another leak, the British have 50 special operations soldiers on the ground in Ukraine, significantly more than any other NATO member.
The US has held off providing Ukraine with the Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), munitions that can be fired from the HIMARS rocket systems and have a range of up to 190 miles, similar to the Storm Shadows. Ukrainian officials insist they wouldn’t use the missiles to target Russian territory, but other Discord leaks indicate they would.
“They don’t like us anyhow, let’s drop the big one and see what happens…” DJV
Randy Newman.
More spectacular misjudgment by London. If true, what on earth are they thinking?
Do they want Russia’s military to take all of Ukraine? Because Russia can and will do this if needed. Remember, we haven’t even seen their ground forces in action yet.
Alternatively, the Russians might simply push west as far as they need to, so that these missiles are out of range. Or they’ll wipe them out, just as they likely did last week with the UK’s depleted uranium shells in that massive strike at Pavlograd.
Also, there is a genuine risk of retaliation if one of these missiles is fired at Russia. Moscow considers London to be its #1 enemy, above the United States, after all. Not just that. Moscow also has the means to inflict serious damage to the UK, in ways that London is unable to respond to.
The UK military is a battered shell these days and presumably needs to conserve as much as it can, in terms of ammo. Why waste missiles in this manner?
Are these outcomes what London wants?
Again, if this is true I fail to understand what the objective is. Ukraine is a wreck and the western sanctions have failed dismally. London and other Capitols rolled the dice, bet the house and have lost – badly.
Rather than engaging in futile and infantile stunts / threats, it’s time for western powers to help Ukraine to salvage what they can from the ruins. The consequences are going to be extremely painful for Ukraine and the western powers – this will be an unconditional surrender, on Russia’s terms. However, at this point this outcome appears the least worst option, for Kiev and it’s masters in western capitals.
“Do they want Russia’s military to take all of Ukraine? Because Russia can and will do this if needed. Remember, we haven’t even seen their ground forces in action yet.”
We’ve seen 15 months of them struggling to take Donbas. I think we have seen their best already.
No you haven’t. You’re just very ignorant.
I am very ignorant and observing too; by the way, did you see the million of troops and equipment displayed today during the 9 May parade? Very indicative of how easily Russia can take Ukraine if it really wants to.
There are at least 500,000 Russian professional soldiers deployed in Belarus, all along the contact line down to Crimea, along with countless tanks, artillery, AD platforms etc.
Russian naval and air assets operate unchallenged.
Ukraine /NATO is relatively extremely weak and cannot replenish itself. Any counter offensive is suicide and insane. Unconditional surrender is the only option available.
“Russian naval and air assets operate unchallenged.”
Based on this, what would “challenged” look like?
Your link didn’t work but it doesn’t need to, quite clearly the Russian naval and air assets have total dominance and this has been the case since the SMO started in Feb 2022.
This is a humiliating defeat not just for Ukraine but for NATO/the West. No point sugar coating it.
We in the West need to start accepting brutal but honest truths and stop deluding ourselves about the situation.
The link — I don’t know why it doesn’t work — was to video of a Russian aircraft being shot down just a couple of days ago.
Interesting that you would change your claim from “unchallenged” to “dominant” (but still get it wrong with the modifier “total”) without even knowing that.
I agree that you do need to stop deluding yourself about the situation, though.
Show me the video of Russian aircraft being shot down ‘a few days ago’. Where and when did this happen?
Would have thought that such a feat would be plastered all over western media if it indeed happened, which is unlikely in the extreme.
‘Unchallenged’, ‘dominant’ – who cares. Russia has had total dominance of Ukraine’s skies since day 1. No one serious is disputing that.
“Show me the video of Russian aircraft being shot down ‘a few days ago’. Where and when did this happen?”
Note: I don’t take orders from you. If you want that to change, we can discuss my services and rates. Here’s a link that’s working at the moment I post this. I was incorrect in saying it was a “few days” ago, It was a month ago, near Marinka in Donetsk.
“Would have thought that such a feat would be plastered all over western media”
Quick random selection from search results: Associated Press. ABC News. Euronews. Toronto Star. Philadelphia Inquirer. Belfast Telegraph. Guardian. Canberra Times.
“Russia has had total dominance of Ukraine’s skies since day 1. No one serious is disputing that.”
After the first couple of weeks, I’ve never seen anyone asserting that. Almost all aerial action in this war seems to be of the missile and drone variety precisely because neither side dares put up its manned fixed-wing aircraft very frequently or in great numbers. Improvements in air defense have made that approach obsolete.
With respect, you’re just deluded. You’re wrong, but I can see that you’re a good guy. Good luck.
Thanks. No respect required.
If you think paying close attention to what’s going instead of just believing what I want to believe because it’s what I want to believe is an indicator that I’m deluded, you shouldn’t respect it.
“I think we have seen their best already.”
That’s not necessarily true. There is always the possibility that the Russian military has been making use of the time since its failures last year to examine its doctrines and improve its troop/equipment quality, and that it will perform better in the future. It wouldn’t be the first time the Russians got their asses kicked early then shaped up later.
On the other hand, satellite-gathered pollution data indicates that Russian industrial production is down 6.2% over the course of the last year, rather than up by even the anemic 2% claimed by the regime. So the question is whether they can wrap this thing up before it becomes a choice of knock it off militarily or collapse economically.
I got your point but I just don’t see them improving in time to turn things around. There are too many key aspects of warfare that are going badly wrong with their invasion and it takes time to rebuild, regroup, and learn from your mistakes. They can surely learn some lessons and solve some issues on the go but many other new problems will pile up. On top of that and like you alluded to, their economy is slowly crashing.
I guess we’ll find out one way or another soon.
Once the Russians finally take Bakhmut, we’ll see whether they try to establish a line of control encompassing LPR/DPR, declare a unilateral ceasefire and “victory,” and let it return to frozen conflict, or whether they want to try their hand at maneuver warfare again.
If the latter, we’ll see whether they’ve improved dramatically.
But even if they have, Ukraine bought a lot of time at Bakhmut for resupplying/re-equipping with the assistance of allies who outclass Russia on the production front by a full order of magnitude. So even being a lot better than last spring’s Sad Sack performance might not be enough.
As Ukraine becomes a de-facto member of NATO, Russia’s options become broader, not narrower.
To me, the British have the best shot at going down in history as the first “government” to trigger a nuclear exchange in Europe. I view them as Biden’s obvious choice for a yapping dog to chase and bite at hubcaps.
this poster’s view:
Biden’s administration reeks of cowardice. If we had any integrity, we would have put boots on the ground in Ukraine and slugged it out in a body bag contest. That way, the taxpayers would have had a look at the true cost of war in Ukraine, as the body bags started to fill Air Force bases.
What we have instead is the slaughter of Ukrainian soldiers while we write checks. It doesn’t get any more dishonorable than that.
I predicate this view on the basis that evidence points to our intervention (via the poodle) to nix a peace agreement in 2022 shortly after the initiation of hostilities.
I have no words for the incompetence and cowardice of this administration. I’m three months shy of 80 and no stranger to our various questionable attempts to achieve domination. At least in Vietnam we took part in our crusade, and I have to give a nod to Bush in Iraq and Obama in Afghanistan, but what Biden is doing reeks and makes me ashamed.
The Russian economy is fine, as is their military.
Russia is far stronger now than it was in Feb 2022.
We in the west need to stop being delusional. This is a humiliating defeat for us, painful, that we need to learn from.
How is a war I’m not involved in in any way, shape, manner, or form a “humiliating defeat” for me?
What am I supposed to learn from it that would vary from my position — which, since at least as far back as 2014, has been against any US involvement whatsoever?
Even the Russian central bank, et al. aren’t pretending that “the Russian economy is fine.” They’re just pretending that it’s not doing quite as badly as it seems to be doing.
Really? Low inflation, GDP growth, all under the most aggressive sanctions imposed in recent history – looks like they’re doing OK to me.
What’s happening in Ukraine in 2023 is a tragic example of what’s happening on a geopolitical level – the steep decline/collapse of western legitimacy and influence.
It’s a humiliating defeat for a delusional western culture that has been consumed by hubris.
The consequence of hubris is nemesis. This debacle is and will have significant consequences for everyone in the west, including you and me.
They are down to the last 10% from the 80% taken a few weeks ago.
The bluster about not enough ammo appears to over.
It’s inevitiable unfortunately for your side just going by the continually shrinking of the held territory.
Besides, these are mercenaries from really dubious backgrounds; they aren’t “the best” by far just guys who are grinding their foes into smaller and smaller territory.
You mean Bakhmut? Yes, is down to less than 10% but can the Russians keep it? Taking land is one thing but holding it is another difficult task.
And the ammo resupply needs to survive the journey to get to the frontlines so it is still a battle.
Looks like Verdun to me, where the Germans broke the French Army till it mutinied.
The Russians aren’t interested in territory. They want to destroy the Ukrainian military hence war of attrition.
They repeated so many times the nonsense about victorious Ukrainian army and about Russia which is about to collapse, they started themselves believe in their own fairy tales. It will take some time before they discover that it is not so.
British foreign policy is always consistent. First they helped to provoke the war. Then they sabotaged the peace agreements. Now they are sending more weapons.
Yesterday I bought in UK supermarket 250 gram British butter for £2.50. Last time before that, when I was buying British butter, I paid £1.oo for the same 250 gram pack. Now we have the guns instead of butter.
I’m in Iowa. Butter is $4 a pound here but I usually buy a quart of cream for $5 make my pound of butter with that and have a pint of buttermilk too.
World War 3…………………………………………..!
Inhale………………………………………………………………………….
Exhale{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{
Medicinal marijuana……………………………………………………..
CBD for me, 2000 mg, instead of 1000mg. lol.
Ukraine’s forces are full of mercenary foreign fighters, as CNN stumbled upon but buried the lead.
Those leaks represent points in the past.
Have those arms arrived?
If not; are they due soon enough to be entered into the planning for the offensive that is due to start soon (nothing like a scheduled battle that the enemy knows is coming)?
If they are going to be used in the offensive; just how many days of fighting do those represent?
A war of attrition only works for the side with the most resources not the most promises of weapons shipments that will come…they promise.
“are they due soon enough to be entered into the planning for the offensive that is due to start soon (nothing like a scheduled battle that the enemy knows is coming)?”
oh you haven’t heard it? the Russians already destroyed them.
Are these missiles of the depleted uranium sort?
If so, Putin may as well just go ahead and take out London. What a nice coronation gift for “King” Charles.
longer-range missiles that the Biden administration has so far refused to provide
“if we give them real missiles then the war might be over sooner and we won’t be able to sell them all of the other missiles”
…. uncle sam
The British would do this only if the US wants it done. Convenient cover for expanding the war while pretending otherwise.
Biden’s administration is stuffed with cowards.
I m not entirely sure about that one. Officially Downing street have special relationship whereby they lick Washington’s behind and stay in line, unofficially, the entire US political and elite establishment is ALL IN service to the crown. Sometimes events happen originating from UK that neither Downing nor Foggy Bottom had a hand in.
Well, Russia did promise to sink the unsinkable Molly Brown.
They’re preparing phase 2, the shift from artillery to missiles. And as long as Russia choses to limit the theatre to the political boundaries of Ukraine. NATO will be happy to use it as the platform.
Who gives a shit. Give them their RPG sounding missiles and their US counter parts. Bet you they won’t see the light of day on the battlefield. Probably get blown to bits in their munitions depot. But let them keep gasing each other. Probably a PR stunt for some congress and parliamentarian arm chair generals to stroke their weeners to.
The Brits are the not so secret Poles.