Ukraine has used British cruise missiles to hit a Russian military headquarters in the occupied city of Luhansk in the east of the country, a military source has told Sky News.
The Storm Shadow missiles – launched by Ukrainian aircraft – targeted the command base for Russian ground troops on Saturday in what the source described as a “heavy blow” for the Russian armed forces.
“This strike furthers Ukraine’s campaign to liberate the Luhansk region from the Russian Federation’s illegal invasion and ensure that Russia is not able to advance further into Ukraine,” the source said.
The loss of the headquarters would impact Russia’s ability to command its forces in the surrounding Luhansk region, according to the source, who shared the information on condition of anonymity.
“Striking Russian military command nodes creates confusion among the Russian ground forces,” the source said.
“Russian military culture relies on micromanagement and centralised command, which means that removal of a headquarters like this could paralyse military decision-making for the next month.”
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The Ukrainian operation also exposed the limitation of Russian air defences, the source said.
“The destruction of this headquarters will be a heavy blow to the Russian army and shows that Ukraine still retains the ability to target the Russian military anywhere it operates,” the source said.
The headquarters is in an industrial complex in south-central Luhansk.
On Saturday, the head of the Ukrainian air force posted a message on the Telegram social media site about airstrikes against a Russian target in the Luhansk region.
“I thank the pilots of the Air Forces for a successful, and most importantly, an effective strike on an enemy facility in the Luhansk region on April 13, 2024,” Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk wrote.
“The Ukrainian pilots did an excellent job and returned to the base,” he wrote, according to a report by the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform.