• Ukraine fires UK Storm Shadow cruise missiles into Russia
• Biden administration approves supply of antipersonnel mines to Kyiv
• Kremlin says US ‘doing everything to prolong war’
• Erdogan calls missile decision ‘big mistake’
• ICBL terms latest mines’ approval ‘terrible decision’

KYIV: The United States shut its embassy in Kyiv on Wednesday morning due to what it called the threat of a significant air attack, a day after Ukraine used American missiles to hit a target inside Russia in what Moscow described as an escalation in the war.

With tension already running high over the use of US-made ATACMS missiles by Kyiv and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to lower the threshold for a nuclear strike, Ukraine fired a volley of British Storm Shadow cruise missiles into Russia on Wednesday.

On the other hand, in yet the latest step-up in military supplies announced by the US administration, a US official Ukraine would be provided with antipersonnel land mines to shore up its defences against Russian forces.

Russia accused the US of prolonging the “war in Ukraine” by stepping up weapons deliveries to Kyiv.

Moscow said the use of Western weapons to strike into Russian territory far from the border would be a major escalation in the conflict.

“If you look at the trends of the outgoing US administration, they are fully committed to continuing the war in Ukraine and are doing everything they can to do so,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Russian war correspondent accounts on Telegram posted footage they said included the sound of the missiles striking in Kursk region.

At least 14 huge explosions can be heard, most of them preceded by the sharp whistle of what sounds like an incoming missile. The footage, shot in a residential area, showed black smoke rising in the distance.

A pro-Russian channel said Ukraine had fired up to 12 Storm Shadows into the Kursk region, and carried pictures of pieces of missile with the name Storm Shadow clearly visible.

Britain had previously allowed Kyiv to use Storm Shadows within its territory. The Storm Shadows have a range in excess of 250km, empowering Ukraine to hit targets far deep into Russia.

A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, however, said his office would not be commenting on reports or operational matters.

The Kyiv government has been pressing Western partners for permission to use such weapons to strike targets deep inside Russia, and obtained the all-clear from US President Joe Biden to use the ATACMS this week, two months before Biden leaves office. His successor, Presi­dent-elect Donald Trump, has said he will end the war, without saying how.

The Italian and Greek embassies said they too had closed their doors.

However, the State Department said the embassy in Kyiv would reopen on Thursday. Spokesman Matthew Miller declined to say what kind of threat had forced the embassy to shut down on Wednesday. “We take the safety and security of our personnel… extremely seriously,” Miller said.

Decisions slammed

Turkiye, a Nato member, sees Washington’s approval for Ukraine to use American missiles against targets inside Russia as a “big mistake”. “This step by Biden will not only escalate the conflict, but will lead to a greater reaction from Russia … (and) may bring the region and the world to the brink of a major new war,” President Erdogan said on the flight back from G20 summit.

“The slightest mistake made on the basis of this big mistake … will be like throwing the powder keg into the fire, so I advise everyone to be careful,” he said.

Washington’s decision to provide Kyiv with antipersonnel landmines a day after the supplies of US-made missiles drew sharp reaction from a global anti-landmine group. The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) “condemns this terrible decision by the US”.

Published in Dawn, November 21st, 2024