(LONDON) – The United Kingdom has authorised a British defence firm to share classified blueprints for long range missile components with Ukraine, a move Kyiv has described as a vital step in its strategy to make it impossible for Russia to continue its war.
The decision, announced on the 35th anniversary of Ukrainian independence, allows the company MBDA to transfer technical information on UK components used in French supplied SCALP missiles. These are the same missiles known as Storm Shadow in British service.
The goal is to establish local Ukrainian assembly lines for the weapon, which combines British and French technology. Yuriy Sak, a former adviser to the Ukrainian Minister of Defence, told Times Radio the move was a highly significant one.
“As far as birthday presents go, this one will definitely be top three,” he said. “For us to get the blueprints is really important… for this war to end, there’s only one workable and efficient strategy: to make it impossible for Russia to fight it.”
Mr Sak explained that the core of this strategy involved striking Russian military assets at their source, before they can be used against Ukraine.
“We need capacity to destroy Russian war machinery inside Russia,” he said. “So before they launch their attacks, we need to be able to attack their launchers. Don’t try to shoot down the arrows, kill the archer.”
The announcement coincides with a visit to Ukraine by the British Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, where he will chair a meeting of the “coalition of the willing,” a group of more than 30 nations supporting Kyiv.
Mr Sak said this coalition understood the asymmetric nature of the conflict, where Ukraine could not match Russia’s manpower or its willingness to accept huge casualties.
“We will never be able to match Russia in terms of their reluctance to protect and preserve human life,” he stated. “They can throw their soldiers by the thousands into the battlefield… Our strategy is asymmetric. Fewer weapons but used in a smart way will help us achieve our objectives.”
Beyond this missile programme, Mr Sak expressed hope that the United States would follow the UK’s example. He noted that Ukraine faces a critical shortage of interceptors for Patriot air defence systems, which are essential for protecting cities from Russian ballistic missiles.
“We hope that Lockheed Martin will be generous enough to give Ukraine blueprints for the Patriot interceptor missiles,” he said, citing a global production rate of just 700 missiles per year. “That’s not enough for a globe which is set on fire.”
On the subject of the Prime Minister’s visit timing, Mr Sak dismissed any notion of delay, stating that UK support for Ukraine “never stopped” and was never in doubt.
When asked about calls by former defence minister Fedorov for wartime elections, Mr Sak characterised the public debate as a sign of Ukraine’s democratic health, even under fire.
“It’s a demonstration of the simple fact that Ukraine is a democratic country,” he said. However, he noted that the majority of Ukrainians understand that holding legitimate elections is currently impossible due to the millions of citizens displaced as refugees or serving on the front lines.
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