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British Challenger 2 tanks have reportedly been used by Ukrainian troops inside Russia for the first time.
The disclosure follows the recent announcement by the British Ministry of Defence that weapons supplied by the UK can be used inside Russia – with the exception of storm shadow cruise missiles.
A video posted by a Russian Telegram account purports to show Vladimir Putin’s forces attacking a Challenger 2 inside Kursk.
A source told Sky News that the British tanks have been used in Ukraine’s cross-border assault into Kursk, which was launched last week.
The 82nd Air Assault Brigade, which has been operating British tanks since last year, has been involved in the ongoing incursion.Britain donated 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Russia earlier in the conflict but at least one is thought to have been destroyed in combat.
The Ministry of Defence has said there has been no change in government policy following reports that British Challenge 2 tanks were used inside Russia.
“There has been no change in UK government policy, under Article 51 of the UN Charter Ukraine has a clear right of self-defence against Russia’s illegal attacks, that does not preclude operations inside Russia,” an MoD spokesperson said.
“We make clear during the gifting process that equipment is to be used in line with international law.”
All British weapons supplied to Ukraine can be used on Russian soil except Storm Shadow cruise missiles, Ben Wallace, the former Defence Secretary, told The Times.
Kyiv claims it is in control of more than 1,000 sq km of Russian territory, while Moscow’s forces have been seen digging trenches around 17km north of Ukraine’s furthest position in Kursk.
Authorities in Russia’s Kursk border region have ordered the evacuation of 20,000 more civilians as Ukraine advances further into its territory.
Alexei Smirnov, the governor of Kursk, said on Telegram on Thursday that police would coordinate the evacuation from the Glushkov district, which borders Ukraine.
On Wednesday, Kyiv said its cross-border assault, which was launched last week, advanced one to two kilometres into the Kursk region. Kyiv has claimed that it has control of more than 1,000 square kilometres
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has praised his armed forces for creating a ‘buffer zone’ in Kursk.
“The creation of a buffer zone in the Kursk region is a step to protect our border communities from daily hostile shelling,” the president said.
Despite the rapid advance into Russia, it still remains unclear as to how long Ukrainian forces will remain and what their eventual mission will be.
Defence sources have told National Security News that the longer the Ukrainian operation lasts the more vulnerable its forces will become to Russian counter attack.
The source said: “Ukraine caught Russia off-guard with its rapid incursion into the Kursk region and have inflicted a significant tactical victory so far which has proved extremely embarrassing for Putin. But Russia will reorganise and could inflict a lot of damage on the Ukrainian forces and its supply lines. The decision for Ukraine will then be: does it stay and fight and risk losing some of its best troops or conduct a tactical withdrawal and strike again at a time of its own choosing.”
On Wednesday Kyiv announced plans to organise humanitarian assistance and evacuation corridors for civilians heading to either Russia or Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s air force said on Thursday that it shot down all 29 Russia-launched drones over eight Ukrainian regions during an overnight attack, which officials said caused only minor damage.
Russia also launched three Kh-59 guided missiles during the attack, the air force said in a statement.
The governor of the central region of Cherkasy said debris damaged windows of one private business, while the governors of the Kyiv, Poltava and Kirovohrad regions reported no hits to infrastructure or casualties.
The governor of the southern Mykolaiv region said that the air force shot down five drones there without offering details on damage.
Eight more drones were downed over the southern region of Kherson, its governor said. Various Russian attacks in this region killed one person and injured 13 more over the past day, he said.
