Le Figaro Alters Report on France, UK’s Alleged Approval of Strikes on Russia

The French newspaper Le Figaro has updated its Sunday report on claims that France and Britain permitted Ukraine to use SCALP/Storm Shadow long-range missiles to strike Russian territory.

The article, now marked as “updated,” replaces the earlier assertion with the statement: “Debates are already raging in the offices about allowing the use of Western missiles against Russian territory.”

Le Figaro added: “Emmanuel Macron [French President, - ed.] spoke in favor of this during a state visit to Germany in May 2024.”

Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot neither confirmed nor denied whether Ukraine had been granted permission to use SCALP missiles for strikes deep into Russian territory.

Speaking to journalists ahead of a EU ministers' meeting in Brussels on Monday, Nov. 18, Barrot referenced France’s previous stance on relaxing restrictions, according to Reuters.

"We openly said this was an option that we would consider if it was to allow to strike a target from where Russia is currently aggressing Ukrainian territory. So nothing new on the other side," Barrot said.

The Storm Shadow, also known as SCALP EG, is an air-to-ground cruise missile designed to destroy stationary targets well-protected by air defense systems.

On Nov. 17, Western media reported that the Biden administration had authorized Ukraine to use American long-range weapons against Russian territory. According to Reuters, Ukraine may soon deploy ATACMS missiles for such strikes.

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Ukraine is Getting Its Own Capability to Strike Deep into Russian Territory

Deprived of the unrestricted use of long-range Western weapons to attack Russian bases, Ukraine has come up with its own weapons that blur the line between missiles and drones to fill the gap.

The New York Times reported that these weapons are likely to be used primarily against Russian and North Korean forces to protect the Ukrainian Armed Forces' positions in the Kursk region. Meanwhile, Axios claimed that U.S. permission applies specifically to the Kursk region to deter North Korea from sending additional troops to Russia.

Previously, Western allies hesitated to approve strikes deep into Russian territory, fearing escalation. Reports suggesting that Ukraine had received such permissions surfaced on the same day Russia launched its most intense missile attacks on Ukrainian cities in months.

Russia launched 120 missiles and 90 drones against Ukraine on Sunday, with Ukrainian forces successfully downing over 140 of them, President Volodymyr Zelensky reported.

Zelensky described the attack as a massive combined strike targeting all regions of Ukraine, noting that Russian forces used various types of drones, including ‘Shaheds,’ alongside cruise, ballistic, and aeroballistic missiles such as ‘Zirkons,’ ‘Iskanders,’ and ‘Kinzhals.’

Ukraine’s Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko stated that energy generation and transmission facilities were targeted in the attack, prompting urgent shutdowns and widespread blackouts across the country.

DTEK, a major Ukrainian energy provider, confirmed that thermal power plants were damaged in the strikes but did not disclose specific details about the location or extent of the damage.