Ukraine war latest: Kremlin uses strategic bombers in war games; Zelenskyy attacks ‘Russian terror’ as he pleads for help

Key points

Zelenskyy says Russian military launched 30 missiles, more than 800 bombs and 300 attack drones this week as he calls for more support from alliesMarried couple killed in overnight missile attack in UkraineUK’s former foreign secretary says it’s “disappointing” the government has failed to get Ukraine permission for long-range missile useDavid Lammy says “we won’t be bullied by Putin’s shameless grandstanding” after Russian president’s NATO threatsWhat are long-range missiles and what does Ukraine want to use them for?Deborah Haynes analysis:Western allies face risks green-lighting long-range missiles – but bowing to Russian threats would be more dangerousJames Matthews analysis:Can US call Putin’s bluff without triggering catastrophe?

13:54:43 Long-range missiles: What are they and what does Ukraine want to use them for?

Long-range missiles have been prominent in the war of late, as Ukraine continues to urge Western allies to give them the green-light to launch them into Russia.

It can be difficult to cram everything you need to know about the weaponry into each post about them – but in this one we’ll try to give you all the context you need moving forward.

What are long-range missiles?

They are, as the name suggests, missiles which travel further than other weapons at Ukraine’s disposal.

Specifically, there are two types of long-range missiles the UK and US could let Ukraine launch into Russia.

There is the Storm Shadow – a long-range cruise missile developed by British Aerospace and a French company, which carries a 450kg conventional warhead to a range of up to 200 miles.

Then there is the US Army Tactical Missile System – or ATACMS – a guided long-range weapon with a range of about 180 miles.

The Storm Shadow missiles have to be launched from fighter jets in the air, while the ATACMS can be fired from the ground.

Ukraine already has these missiles

You may have noticed that Volodomyr Zelenskyy is asking for permission to use long-range missiles, rather than asking for a supply. 

That’s because the UK and US have already sent Ukraine long-range missiles – they just haven’t granted them permission to launch them into Russia. 

Ukraine is currently only allowed to target Russian-occupied territory within Ukraine itself.

What does Ukraine want to use the missiles for?

Ukraine sees the ability to use long-range missiles behind enemy lines as a game-changer, allowing it to target Russian air bases, supply depots, and communication centres hundreds of miles over the border.

It argues this would help reduce Russia’s air superiority and weaken supply lines needed to launch daily airstrikes against Ukraine – with drones, missiles, and powerful glide bombs – and to sustain its military ground offensive into Ukraine.

Why is the West so hesitant to let Ukraine launch into Russia?

Ukraine’s Western allies are concerned about what Russia’s response might be.

Vladimir Putin has warned that he would see NATO countries allowing Ukraine to strike Russian territory with Western-made long-range missiles as their “direct involvement”.

As we reported on Friday, he claimed this would put NATO “at war” with Russia.

12:37:57 Biden will speak to Zelenskyy about long-range missiles, says US adviser

Joe Biden will speak to Volodomyr Zelenskyy directly about long-range missiles later this month, according to his national security adviser.

Speaking remotely at a conference in Kyiv, Jake Sullivan said the matter of whether Ukraine will be given permission by Western countries to use their weapons to launch attacks deep into Russia was the subject of “intense consultations” among allies.

He said Mr Biden would speak to the Ukrainian president about the weapons and about a “substantial” new aid package Washington has been working on.

Mr Zelenskyy has said he wants to present Mr Biden with a “victory plan” during their next talks, which he believes will force Russia to end its war.

“I do think we need a comprehensive strategy for success in this war and that is what president Zelenskyy says he is bringing,” Mr Sullivan said, adding outgoing president Mr Biden was “eager for that conversation”.

12:04:19 Lammy: ‘We won’t be bullied by Putin’s shameless grandstanding’

Earlier this week, Russia’s Vladimir Putin threatened NATO if Ukraine is allowed to use long-range missiles in Russia’s territory – here is what he said:

On Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, we askedForeign Secretary David Lammy about the threat.

He replied: “Putin threatens every few months to use nuclear weapons. It’s totally unacceptable.

“We won’t be bullied by Putin’s shameless grandstanding.

“We cannot support this kind of gross fascist imperialism in Europe in the 21st century. We must do everything we can to repel it.”

The foreign secretary said there will “of course” be a dialogue with Russia at some stage, as that is how wars are ended.

“But clearly the posture of Putin at this stage does not suggest a man who’s up for negotiation,” he added.

11:51:14 Married couple killed in overnight missile attack in Ukraine

We reported earlier that Russia launched three missiles at Ukraine overnight.

Odesa’s regional governor Oleh Kiper has now revealed two people – a married couple – were killed in Odesa’s suburbs, while another person was wounded in the attack.

Ukraine’s air force earlier said the Russians launched two ballistic missiles and one guided air missile targeting the southern region of Odesa.

The guided air missile was destroyed, the air force said, but it didn’t say what happened to the ballistic missiles.

The missile attack came as Ukraine and Russia fired drone attacks at one another through the night.

11:32:41 Discussions over missile use a ‘stumbling block’ and ‘we will not give up’, says Ukrainian diplomat

Natalia Galibarenko, Ukraine’s Head of Mission to NATO, has appeared on this morning’s edition of Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips.

She said the situation on the battlefield is “complicated” for Ukrainians but “under control”.

Russia is pushing into the Donbas area, which Ukraine is trying to push back.

The counter-offensive into Russia has “not failed”, she insisted, saying many of their military aims have “succeeded”.

She said Ukraine is “not disappointed” over the lack of clarity over whether it will be allowed by the UK and US to fire long-range missiles into Russian territory.

“We [are] already used to the situation, when we were told at the beginning, there will be no Western attacks then we were told there would be no  F-16 [fighters], and all these obstacles we came through,” she said.

“And this is just another thing, a stumbling block, which should we should tackle. And we will not be giving up.”

The ambassador said President Zelenskyy will be pushing President Biden on the topic at the UN General Assembly meeting later this month.

On the Russian president’s threat that allowing Ukraine to use the missiles in his territory would mean NATO is at war with Russia as well, Ms Galibarenko replied: “We should not be blackmailed by what Putin is saying.”

11:20:17 Russian strategic bombers simulate cruise missile air strikes

Two pairs of Russian strategic bombers have simulated air strikes using cruise missiles today, according to the state-run TASS news agency.

The Russian air force personnel conducted training flights over the neutral waters of the Chukchi Sea and the East Siberian Sea as part military drills.

TASS reported the flights included simulating the air strikes against “critical facilities of the conditional enemy”.

10:49:13 Iran’s president set to attend summit in Russia next month

Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian is heading to Russia next month amid tensions caused by the countries’ military cooperation.

Iran’s ambassador in Russia Kazem Jalali confirmed today that Mr Pezeshkian will attend the summit of the BRICS group, which is scheduled to be held in the Russian city of Kazan from 22-24 October.

BRICS, named after members Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, aims to champion ‘the global South’ and serve as a counterweight to the politically dominant G7 nations.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday Russia had received ballistic missiles from Iran and was likely to use them in Ukraine within weeks. 

It’s piled pressure on Ukraine’s Western allies to let it use their long range missiles to hit behind enemy lines.

Iran denied delivering any ballistic missiles to Russia after the US, UK, Germany and France imposed new sanctions on the country earlier this week.

09:57:30 Zelenskyy: Russia launched 30 missiles and 800 aerial bombs at Ukraine this week

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has given an update on Telegram and X reflecting on aerial attacks by Russia this week. 

The Ukrainian president said the Russian military launched around 30 missiles “of various types”, more than 800 guided aerial bombs and almost 300 attack drones.

He added Ukraine “needs strong support from partners” in its defence against “Russian terror”.

He highlighted the specific need for air defence support, long-range capabilities and more support for soldiers. 

“Anything that will help force Russia to end this war,” he added.

He ended the morning update by thanking those who support Ukraine.

He also shared a video appearing to show the devastation caused by the attacks this week in Ukraine’s  Donetsk, Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Kherson city and Zaporizhzhia regions regions.

The video ends with the message: “Ukraine needs more air defence systems. We need strong support from our partners.”

09:36:56 Cleverly: ‘Disappointing’ government has failed to get Ukraine permission for long-range missile use

James Cleverly has been on Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips this morning.

The UK’s former home and foreign secretary was asked for his thoughts on long-range missiles.

As we’ve been reporting in recent weeks, Volodymyr Zelenskyy is urging the UK and US to allow Ukraine to use Western long-range missiles to launch attacks deeper into Russia.

Mr Cleverly said he “lobbied very, very hard” to give Ukraine what it needed to defend itself when he was foreign secretary, and that his government “led the field” when it came to providing the long-range missiles Ukraine are hoping to use.

He added it was “disappointing” that Sir Keir Starmer and foreign secretary David Lammy had “failed to secure international agreement for Ukraine to use these missiles” to defend itself.

“It’s complicated negotiations, but we’ve had a successful track record up until now, and I really hope that they will continue pushing on this,” he said.

Phillips asked Mr Cleverly repeatedly whether he would allow Ukraine to use the long-range missiles if he were in charge now.

He avoided giving a yes or no answer, but he did say it was “untenable” to demand Ukraine defend itself against Russia’s missile attacks without the opportunity to “neutralise” its launch sites.

09:32:11 Overnight drone attacks in both Ukraine and Russia

Air defences on both sides of the war have given updates on overnight attacks.

Ukraine’s air defence said it destroyed 10 out of 14 drones that Russia launched overnight targeting Ukrainian territory.

It also said Russia launched two Iskander M-ballistic missiles and one Kh-59 guided air missile targeting the southern region of Odesa.

The guided air missile was destroyed, the air force said, but it didn’t say what happened to the Iskander missiles or whether there was any damage as a result of the attack.

Russia’s air defence said its units destroyed 29 drones that Ukraine launched overnight, targeting seven Russian regions.

It added 15 of them were downed over the Bryansk region that borders Ukraine, while the rest were destroyed over the Smolensk, Orlov, Belgorod, Kaluga and Rostov regions.

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