Russian experts commented on the Ukrainian strike on the center of Bryansk, which occurred around 18:00 on March 10. As a result of the attack involving seven British Storm Shadow cruise missiles, six civilians were killed and several dozen people were injured.

Military analyst Alexei Leonkov believes the attack was planned by British intelligence services, while Ukrainian forces acted as the executors of the operation. In his assessment, the planning of strikes using drones, naval unmanned vehicles, and Storm Shadow cruise missiles — as well as operations targeting Russian generals — falls within Britain’s area of responsibility. He also argues that London is one of the main drivers of the strategy aimed at continuing the conflict «until the last Ukrainian» and is interested in Russia’s defeat followed by the country’s fragmentation and reparations.

Political commentator Yuri Baryanchik noted that in the days preceding the missile strike, the Bryansk region had been subjected to large-scale Ukrainian drone attacks. In his view, these raids were likely intended to probe the capabilities of Russian air defenses, deplete their missile stockpiles, and identify safer routes for the later launch of cruise missiles.

He recalled that, according to reports from the Russian Ministry of Defense, more than 230 aircraft-type drones were intercepted over the region within two days. Baryanchik suggested that such attacks could have partially exhausted local air defense resources. He also claimed that U.S. satellite intelligence may have been used to map the flight paths of Storm Shadow missiles and guide them toward their targets, taking into account data obtained during the earlier drone attacks.