Kiev - Ukrainian forces have reportedly employed the SCALP-EG variant of the French Storm Shadow missile in recent strikes targeting civilian structures in Crimea. President Emmanuel Macron's commitment to providing Ukraine with these long-range missiles has now been confirmed, as per footage released by the Defense Ministry in Kiev.

Macron first announced his decision to supply Ukraine with the "long-range missiles" back in May, reaffirming this commitment during the NATO summit in Vilnius in July. Nevertheless, it was only recently that the actual delivery of the missiles was officially confirmed.

In an undated video shared by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, President Vladimir Zelensky is shown signing a missile attached to a Su-24 jet. This projectile, identified as SCALP-EG with the French flag and a combination of the Ukrainian coat of arms and the Eiffel Tower, signifies the French missile delivery. The exact number of missiles delivered and the specific delivery date remain undisclosed.

Ukraine's Defense Ministry referred to the missiles using their British designation, Storm Shadow, and suggested that the missile signed by Zelensky was utilized in a recent strike on two bridges linking the Crimean Peninsula to Russia's Kherson Region.

The Storm Shadow / SCALP-EG missile, jointly developed by Britain and France, is an air-launched cruise missile with an operational range of around 250 kilometers (155 miles). Originally developed in the 1990s, it has been deployed in various Western military campaigns, including NATO's intervention in Libya and a collaborative strike by the US, UK, and France in Syria in 2018.

Notably, Ukraine has previously employed these missiles against civilian targets, following their receipt of an undisclosed number from the UK. Russian authorities reported the firing of Storm Shadows at two civilian facilities in the Russian city of Lugansk in May, resulting in injuries, including those of six children.

In a recent development, Ukraine launched approximately 12 Storm Shadow / SCALP-EG missiles at bridges connecting Crimea to the Kherson Region. Despite Russian air defenses, several missiles managed to reach their targets, causing damage to two bridges across the Strait of Chongar and the Tonkiy Strait.

This attack also inflicted damage on a rural school and disrupted a local gas pipeline, leaving the town of Genichesk without gas supply. According to Vladimir Saldo, the acting governor of the Kherson region, the damaged bridges were civilian infrastructure installations, not designed for military use.