UK hands over Storm Shadow missile tech to Ukraine as Kremlin threatens to target production sites

KYIV — UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham made his first overseas visit since taking office on 24 August, arriving in Kyiv to announce the transfer of secret technology for the production of long-range Storm Shadow/SCALP missiles to Ukraine. The move drew immediate condemnation from Moscow, which warned it would identify and destroy any production facilities.

Burnham confirmed the handover of classified data on British components for the missiles, according to a report by The Guardian. The technology transfer is intended to support the establishment of local assembly lines in Ukraine, a project Kyiv is pursuing jointly with France.

“Who started the fire? That's the question, isn't it?” Burnham told journalists when asked about the Kremlin’s accusation that the UK was “adding fuel to the flames.” He reiterated that the UK would support Ukraine “100%” against Russia and stand by its side “in its hour of need,” despite threats from Moscow.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Moscow views the decision “extremely negatively,” according to the Kremlin-aligned news agency Interfax. Peskov accused London of doing everything possible “to prevent any progress at all in the peace settlement process.” He claimed that the Russian military is already “carrying out the relevant work, obtaining the relevant data to identify the production sites of such missiles and other military equipment, and taking measures to destroy the relevant facilities.”

The Storm Shadow/SCALP missile, a Franco-British cruise missile with a range of over 250 kilometers, has been one of the most effective long-range strike weapons in Ukraine’s arsenal since it was first delivered in 2023. The decision to share production technology marks a significant escalation in Western support, moving from supplying finished weapons to enabling domestic manufacture. For Ukraine, which has faced persistent supply bottlenecks and Russian strikes on logistics hubs, the ability to produce these missiles locally could reduce dependency on foreign deliveries and complicate Russian targeting.

Prisoner swap brings 10 soldiers home

On the same day, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine had brought back 10 soldiers previously listed as missing in action in a special stage of a prisoner swap conducted through Belarus. In a post on X (Twitter), Zelenskyy said the returnees had served in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the National Guard of Ukraine and had fought on the Donetsk front.

“All of them had been considered missing in action. And it is very important that we managed to bring them back,” Zelenskyy said. He expressed gratitude to everyone working on bringing Ukrainians home and added: “We remember each and every person who remains in captivity. We are searching for every name. And we will do everything to free them and bring them home.”

The swap comes just days after a larger exchange on 19 August, when 103 Ukrainian service members returned from Russian captivity. The fact that the 10 soldiers were listed as missing rather than confirmed prisoners of war highlights the difficulties Kyiv faces in tracking the fate of its troops, especially along the most active frontline sectors like Donetsk.

Russian strikes continue in Dnipropetrovsk

Meanwhile, Russian forces continued their daily artillery and drone strikes on civilian areas. In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, five people were injured in an attack on the Nikopol district, according to regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha, as reported by Ukrainska Pravda. A 43-year-old man was hospitalised in moderate condition; four others received outpatient treatment. The strikes damaged a school, an office building, a multi-storey residential building, a house and a car.

In a separate attack on the town of Pavlohrad, one person was killed and two were injured, Hanzha reported in a separate statement. Several cars caught fire and windows were shattered in an apartment block.

The combination of Burnham’s visit, the technology transfer announcement and the prisoner swap underscores the dual track of Ukraine’s struggle: building military capacity to fight while working to bring its people home. For the Kremlin, the missile deal represents a red line that it has threatened to enforce by striking production sites — a threat that will test Ukraine’s ability to protect its new defence industrial base.