08 July 2023 , 08:00
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Russia claims to have seized an intact British-supplied Storm Shadow missile as a "war trophy" to "learn its secrets."
Pro-Moscow sources claimed to have successfully "evacuated" one Storm Shadow missile from the war zone to allow Russian weapons experts to dissect and analyse it.
Russian state media war correspondent Andrey Rudenko alleged Ukrainian forces "sold one Storm Shadow rocket to our [Russian] comrades." But the former head of the Russian Space Agency, Dmitry Rogozin, said the missile had been shot down - apparently in a cornfield.
Rogozin said Ukraine shelled the area around the downed missile and sent troops to block Russian forces from securing the Storm Shadow parts. However he claimed that these efforts were "promptly suppressed," according to the TASS News outlet.
The cornfield site where they found the missile (social media/e2w)
The Russian army claims to have captured an undamaged British-supplied long range Storm Shadow missile (social media/e2w)Rogozin claimed that Russian authorities would figure out how the missile is controlled and share the information with the Kremlin's air defence officials.
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The weapon with a 155-mile range and precision accuracy has severely damaged Russian invaders in Ukraine in recent weeks. The missile is seen in a video being bundled into a Russian vehicle in one video.
The Russian salvage team "coped with the task, and have just reported to me the result", Rogozin said.
One Telegram account said the onboard radio-electronic equipment was intact and a major prize for the Russians as it can "serve as an excellent help in the development of new modifications of ground-based and - preferably - air-based electronic warfare equipment."
In an earlier report, Channel One state TV in Russia said a Storm Shadow had been recovered with its deadly warhead intact.
"Our air defences have already many times debunked the myth that this weapon is unstoppable,” said the TV correspondent. But this time our warriors have achieved the impossible and obtained a virtually undamaged example."
Russia also claimed to have downed two Su-25 warplanes in the Donetsk region. The planes are used to carry the Storm Shadow missiles.
"The Storm Shadow missile has had a significant impact on the battlefield", British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said in a statement to the House of Commons.
"Its accuracy and ability to deliver successfully the payload, as sent and designed by the Ukrainians, has been almost without fault. It has had an effect on the Russian army, mainly around its logistics and command and control. That shows the importance of deep fires."