Ukraine to get Brimstone missiles that can set sights on Russian warships

Kyiv wants to upgrade arsenal to include long-range Brimstone missiles

A destroyed tank and a damaged apartment building in Mariupol. AP

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The UK will send long-range Brimstone missiles to Ukraine as part of its effort to help Kyiv defend itself against Russian forces.

Armed Forces Minister James Heappey said Britain would provide Ukraine with the 1.8 metre, 50 kilogram air-launched missiles “in the next few weeks”.

The UK said it wants the war in Ukraine to lead to changes in global security arrangements.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson dismissed fears there could be nuclear reprisals from Russia if its army becomes bogged down in Ukraine, while the Nato military alliance said it hoped Ukrainian heavy artillery will frustrate Russian attacks.

Brimstone missiles have been used by British air power in Libya and Syria. They have a longer range than some of the systems friendly nations have supplied to Ukraine since the Russian invasion at the end of February.

Manufacturer MBDA said they can be used against fast-moving land and sea targets. In Ukraine, the missiles would be fired from land against targets at sea.

Workers unloading a Royal Canadian Air Force military transport plane to assist Ukraine at Lviv airport. AFP

A new member of the Territorial Defence Forces trains to operate an AT4 anti-tank launcher in Kyiv. Reuters

A plane loaded with military equipment for Ukrainian forces takes off from Albacete, Spain. EPA

A Ukrainian soldier holds a Next Generation Light Anti-tank Weapon used to destroy a Russian armoured personal carrier in Irpin, north of Kyiv. AFP

A Ukrainian serviceman with a Javelin missile system on the front line near Kyiv. Reuters

A soldier holds a Panzerfaust 3 anti-tank rocket launcher at the Munster military training area in Germany in 2016. Getty Images

A US Marine Corps staff sergeant aims a M72 Light Anti-tank Weapon. Photo: US National Archives

The Switchblade is a camera-equipped, remote-controlled flying bomb with a reputation for pinpoint delivery. AP Photo

A coalition forces member fires a Carl Gustav recoilless rifle system during weapons practice on a range in Helmand province, Afghanistan, in 2013. US Army Photo

A Starstreak surface-to-air missile system. PA

“Recently Ukraine has been asking for longer-range ground attack missiles, and the government has been exploring if stocks of Brimstone could be released for such purposes,” Mr Heappey said.

“This remains very much in line with our principle of evolving our support to Ukraine as the conflict evolves and their capability requirements change.”

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told the House of Commons that Brimstone missiles were on Ukraine’s shopping list before the war began.

“On Brimstone missiles, we made a commitment I think nearly 18 months ago, two years ago, when we were selling fast attack patrol boats to Ukraine, that we would sell [them] armed with maritime Brimstone missiles.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres visits Borodyanka, near Kyiv, where Russian forces are accused of killing civilians. AFP

Children play in the wreckage of a Russian armoured vehicle in Lukashivka, Chernihiv region, northern Ukraine. The village has been retaken by Ukrainian forces. EPA

A cyclist passes a destroyed building in Derhachi village, near besieged city Kharkiv, in north-eastern Ukraine. AFP

Burnt-out wreckage of a tank in Kolychivka village, Chernihiv region, northern Ukraine. EPA

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Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses a meeting of MPs in St Petersburg. EPA

Youngsters Faddei and Oleksandr play in front of a church damaged during Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in the Chernihiv region. Reuters

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An officer from National Guard of Ukraine surveys weapons left behind by Russian troops in Chernobyl. AFP

Mr Putin attends a meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in Moscow. Reuters

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Ukrainian refugees Julia, second left, 32, and Miroslava, left, 11, walk away with relatives who received them after they crossed into Poland from Ukraine at the Dorohusk border. AFP

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov meets Mr Guterres in Moscow. AFP

US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Mark Milley, left, US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, second left, and Ukrainian Minister of Defence Oleksii Reznikov, right, attend the Ukraine Security Consultative Group meeting at Ramstein airbase in Ramstein-Miesenbach, Germany. Getty Images

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Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the Orthodox Easter service at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow. EPA

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This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows damage at the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol, Ukraine. AP

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A Ukrainian Territorial Defence fighter in a shelter with an Easter Cake near Kharkiv. Ukrainians mark Orthodox Easter today. EPA

Residents receive Easter cakes and apples handed out by pro-Russian troops on Easter Day at the Svyato-Troitsky Church in the southern port city of Mariupol. Reuters

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Residents shelter in a subway station in Kharkiv. AFP

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Residents walk near a damaged military vehicle in an area controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces in Mariupol. AP

A heavily damaged apartment building in Horenka. Getty Images

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A Ukrainian flag is installed on top of a gob pile in Lysychans, eastern Ukraine. AFP

A Ukrainian soldier rests at a checkpoint in Severodonetsk. AFP

“We would do that. They are not at present in the country. Those ships have not been yet purchased or delivered.

“However, if we wish to provide Brimstones in whatever guises they are, I will inform members of this House when we do it. I don't close it off as an opportunity. I think it's a perfectly legitimate thing.”

“First and foremost, we will look to provide if we do, Brimstone for the land, using stock we already hold but not as yet on the sea,” Mr Wallace said.