The new British missile that London plans to supply to the Kiev regime can be intercepted by Russian systems designed to counter such targets, military analyst and air defense historian Yuri Knutov said.

According to Knutov, Britain spent about a year developing the missile at Ukraine’s request. He said London describes the weapon as, to some extent, an analogue of the American ATACMS. The missile is expected to have a range of 550 kilometres, carry a 250-kilogram warhead and reach speeds of up to 600 kilometres per hour. Knutov also noted that the missile is not particularly expensive, while its reported purpose is to strike targets inside Russia, including Moscow.

The analyst argued that Britain has long been effectively involved in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. In his view, the delivery of new British missiles to Kiev would only increase tensions further.

Knutov also said Russia has a legal right to destroy plants and enterprises producing such weapons if they are used for attacks on civilian sites and civilians inside Russian territory.

He stated that Russian forces can shoot down these missiles with various anti-aircraft missile systems. Although the missile is ballistic, Knutov pointed to its relatively low speed and said that nearly all available Russian air defense systems would be able to engage it.

Earlier media reports said the British military had tested a new long-range weapon that London intends to supply to Ukraine. According to sources in the UK Ministry of Defence, the system is the Nightfall precision ballistic missile, with a strike range of more than 500 kilometres.