Ukraine’s British-provided Storm Shadow missiles are likely to be useless now that the US has paused intelligence sharing with the Ukrainian military, the Daily Mail reported on Thursday.
The report said that the UK is among several countries that have received orders from the US prohibiting the sharing of US-generated intelligence with Ukraine. The Storm Shadow missiles, which have a range of about 155 miles, rely on US satellite data to be fired.
Last year, Ukraine began firing Storm Shadows and US-provided ATACMS missiles into Russia, marking a significant escalation of the proxy war that risked provoking a direct clash between the US and Russia.
According to a report from Axios, the pause on intelligence sharing was focused on information that Ukraine could use to launch attacks inside Russian territory. The Daily Mail report said that the Storm Shadows have been a “critical asset” for Ukraine in its assault on Russia’s Kursk Oblast.
Besides the satellite data, the US has other intelligence capabilities inside Ukraine since the CIA has been deeply embedded in the country, a presence it began significantly building up following the 2014 US-backed coup that ousted former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.
US officials have said the pauses on US military and intelligence sharing will be lifted once Ukraine shows its readiness to engage with Russia on peace talks to end the war. US and Ukrainian officials are expected to hold talks in Saudi Arabia next week.
