Ukraine war: Zelensky writes 'glory to Ukraine' on Storm Shadow missile

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy wrote "glory to Ukraine" on a French Storm Shadow missile as Ukraine claimed it has used the weapons to destroy two bridges in Russian-occupied Crimea.

On the missile, an illustration of the Ukraine trident has the Eiffel Tower placed in the middle.

The missiles, known as Scalp-EG in France, have a range of 350 miles, can hit speeds of up to 621mph, and, costing £2.2m, Storm Shadow gives the Ukrainian military the ability to strike Russia behind its frontlines.

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Ukraine's Defence Ministry wrote on social media on Sunday: "Hide and seek. Last night, dozens of Russian missiles and Shaheds searched for Ukrainian planes and Storm Shadow missiles at the airfields.

"But it wasn't until today, in Chonhar and near Henichesk, that the Russians finally found them."

The post on X, formerly Twitter, was accompanied by three images, including one showing Mr Zelenksy signing the missile and the photos of the alleged damage to the two bridges.

In May, outgoing Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the UK would be the first country to donate long-range Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine.

In the same month, the Ukraine Ministry of Defence said that the missiles donated by the UK hit all of the Russian targets identified.

The missile signing by the Ukrainian president comes amid the Ukrainian counter-offensive against the Russian invasion.

Mr Wallace explained the capabilities of the Storm Shadow to the House of Commons: "Storm Shadow is a long-range, conventional-only, precision-strike capability. It complements the long-range systems already gifted, including Himars and Harpoon missiles, as well as Ukraine's own Neptune cruise missile."

He went on to say: "The donation of these weapons systems gives Ukraine the best chance to defend themselves against Russia's continued brutality, especially the deliberate targeting of Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, which is against international law.

"Ukraine has a right to be able to defend itself against this."

Last year, the UK committed £2.3bn to the war in Ukraine and has promised to equal the funds this year making the UK the second largest donor behind the US.