Kyiv pierces Russian air defences with British-made precision weapons as Moscow vows retaliation and Trump–Putin ceasefire talks collapse.
Ukraine has carried out one of its boldest operations of the war — a long-range strike inside Russia using British-made Storm Shadow missiles to hit a major chemical and explosives facility in Bryansk, according to Kyiv’s military command.
The Bryansk Chemical Plant, a key producer of gunpowder and rocket fuel components for Russia’s military industry, was engulfed in flames following what Ukrainian officials described as a “massive combined missile and air strike.”
Ukrainian reconnaissance units said the missiles “successfully penetrated the Russian air defence system,” marking one of the deepest precision strikes into Russian territory to date.
The attack, carried out with Western-provided long-range cruise missiles, is expected to trigger a furious Kremlin response.
Moscow has repeatedly warned NATO states against supplying Kyiv with weapons capable of hitting targets inside Russia.
Yet the UK granted Kyiv explicit permission last year to use Storm Shadows for such missions — a policy that has now been visibly tested.
Ukrainian officials hailed the strike as a legitimate blow to Moscow’s war machine. “The Bryansk plant produces the same explosives used in missiles that terrorize our cities,” Ukraine’s General Staff said.
“We are grateful to our partners for their continued support in resisting Russian aggression.”
The strike came just hours after reports that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin had abruptly cancelled planned peace talks, following Moscow’s refusal to accept U.S. terms for a ceasefire.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Moscow “will not agree to freeze the front lines.”
Meanwhile, Russia retaliated overnight with a new air assault on Kyiv, igniting vehicles and shattering windows across residential districts.
No casualties were reported, but city officials warned of “increasingly erratic” Russian tactics as Ukraine steps up counterstrikes on critical infrastructure deep inside Russian territory.
The use of Storm Shadows — with their 250-kilometre range and precision targeting — underscores a new phase of the war where Ukraine’s Western-supplied weapons are reshaping the frontlines and the psychological balance.
