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By Nick Mordowanec
Staff Writer
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Russia may have shot down its first recorded Storm Shadow missile today, according to a weapons tracker in Ukraine.
The United Kingdom-supplied missiles were introduced into Ukraine's war arsenal in May at the urging of British Defence Minister Ben Wallace, who had said their capabilities—such as fire-and-forget technology and fully autonomous guidance—gave Ukraine its "best chance to defend themselves against Russia's continued brutality." A particular number of provided missiles was not declared.
Within days of Wallace's announcement, Moscow's Defense Ministry claimed it had "intercepted seven Storm Shadow long-range cruise missiles, three HARM anti-radar missiles, and seven HIMARS multiple rocket launchers" in the span of one day. Neither the UK nor Ukraine ever confirmed Russia's claim regarding the Storm Shadows.
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The remains of a Storm Shadow cruise missile used by the Ukrainian Air Force to strike the Berdyansk airfield today were reportedly found earlier today, according to the Ukraine Weapons Tracker Twitter account that routinely monitors weapon usage and trajectories.
"This particular missile didn't hit its target," the account tweeted. "If this was shot down by Russian air defense systems, it would be the first known example."
Newsweek reached out to Ukrainian and Russian defense ministries for comment.
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Retired U.S. Marine Corps Colonel Mark Cancian told Newsweek via email he was "surprised" that it has taken this long for the Russians to shoot down a Storm Shadow missile considering their very sophisticated air defenses.
"Storm Shadow missiles are very helpful in striking deep and high-value targets," Cancian said. "For example, they were used to damage two bridges into Crimea."
Those missiles struck and damaged a key automobile bridge to the Crimea Peninsula on June 22 as Ukrainian soldiers targeted Russian military logistics, according to the Kyiv Post. Three explosions were reported near the town of Chonhar, on a stretch of causeway over a 100-meter-wide inlet from the Sea of Azov.
Storm Shadow missiles are not a "game changer," Cancian warns.
"There is a great desire to find one weapon or tactic that will win the war," he said. "Unfortunately, those do not exist. The war will be decided on the ground by the movement of the front lines.
"That, in turn, will be driven by the totality of Ukrainian military capabilities: the weaponry that it receives, the training of its troops, and the determination of its people."
New footage this week purportedly showed a Russian Pantsir-S1 air defense system struggling to take down a Storm Shadow missile "at near point-blank range," ultimately failing to track and destroy the target.
Storm Shadow missiles have been compared to US-made surface-to-surface Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), which the Biden administration has been reluctant to provide to Ukrainian forces.
However, the tide may have shifted to an American openness for providing the missiles that can travel about 200 miles, or about 30 miles longer than the Storm Shadow missiles manufactured by France-based MBDA Systems.
Oksana Markarova, Ukraine's ambassador in Washington, D.C., told The Page in mid-June that the White House has "changed its tone" on providing ATACMS missiles.
On Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Kyiv has recently received "positive signs" of such a transfer from Washington. Ukrainian Major General Kyrylo Budanov told The War Zone that Kyiv was "close" to obtaining the long-range ATACMS weapons.
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