Storm Shadow missile strike kills Russian Lt. Gen. Oleg Tsokov

Senior Russian general Lt. Gen. Oleg Tsokov was killed in the port city of Berdyansk. Both sides confirm a UK-supplied Storm Shadow missile strike, 100 miles from the front. Tsokov, the deputy commander of Russia's Southern Military District, would be the highest-ranking Russian officer to be killed in the conflict.

Russian Major General Sergei Goryachev was killed in a strike on a command post in southern Ukraine in June. Goryachev is the fifth major general be killed in Russia’s invasion and first of 2023. On May 11 the UK confirmed the transfer of Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine. The Storm Shadow warhead features an initial penetrating charge, then a variable delay fuse to control detonation of the warhead. Intended targets are high value, strategic targets. The missile is fire and forget, programmed before launch.

Storm Shadow missiles are capable of striking targets with great precision at much longer ranges than had previously been possible for Ukraine.

The cruise missiles are launched from specially modified Su-24 strike aircraft and fly under the cover of MiG-29 and Su-27 fighters. They have a range of over 400 km and deliver a 300 kg (660 lb) HE multipurpose warhead. Unit cost is $3.19m.