Britain has said Ukraine could use British weapons and armored vehicles inside Russia as part of the ongoing Kursk invasion.

The British government said its policy had remained unchanged since the previous Conservative government, which had allowed Ukraine to use British weapons and vehicles in Russia – with the exception of the Storm Shadow long-range missiles.

Earlier this month, Ukraine launched a surprise attack on Russia’s border province of Kursk. In a lightning victory, Ukraine claimed to have captured the town of Sudzha and around 74 settlements. Independent analysts estimate that Ukraine has captured around 1,000 square kilometers of land in the ongoing attack, which has now spread to the second border province of Belgorod.

When reports emerged of the deployment of British and German armoured vehicles and tanks in Kursk, Sir Keir Starmer’s government confirmed that the deployment was in line with British policy.

According to the BBC, the British Ministry of Defence stated that Ukraine has “a clear right to self-defence against illegal attacks by Russia, which does not exclude operations inside Russia”.

What British weapons can Ukraine use in Russia?

Ukraine can use all British weapons and armored vehicles in Russia, with the exception of the Storm Shadow long-range missiles.

This means that anti-tank missiles, artillery shells, armored vehicles, tanks, etc. can be deployed within Russia.

Former British Defence Secretary Sir Ben Wallace, whose authority to act in Ukraine during Rishi Sunak’s tenure was reaffirmed by Sir Starmer’s new government, told the Times of London that the ongoing Ukrainian offensive was designed to attack the logistics and infrastructure supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine; therefore it was “entirely legitimate” for Ukraine to use British weapons.

What foreign weapons has Ukraine used in Russia?

As the Ukrainian invasion of Russia continues, George Barros, a researcher at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), told the Times that in addition to the German-supplied Marder armoured vehicles that Russian media reports said were used in Kursk, German mine-clearing tanks and tank transporters, the US-supplied Stryker armoured fighting vehicle and at least one French-supplied armoured personnel carrier have been spotted.

Barros further said that Ukraine also likely used a US-supplied M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) to destroy a Russian convoy in Kursk.

Elsewhere, such as in Kharkiv, where Russia launched a surprise offensive in May, the United States had allowed Ukraine limited cross-border use of its munitions.

Former British Defense Secretary Sir Wallace told The Times that permission for the cross-border deployment of Storm Shadow missiles had not been granted because of concerns among allies.

“Under my leadership, the long-term defence policy was that Ukraine had the right to use any weapons supplied to it to strike at Russian military infrastructure and Russian supporters supporting the illegal invasion of the country. If British weapons were used in that process, it was always permitted as long as they were used in accordance with international law,” Wallace said.

“Long-range missiles create fear in Russia, and especially in the Soviet Union, of decapitation strikes against the leadership and key locations. Armored vehicles, machine guns and NLAWS (anti-tank weapons) are a different story entirely,” Wallace said, adding that this explains why Ukraine’s allies are reluctant to give permission to deploy Storm Shadow missiles in Russia.