The UK Defense Secretary refused to answer questions from MPs about the use of the Storm Shadow against targets in Russia, writes the BBC.
British Defense Secretary John Healy appeared before the parliamentary defense committee, where he was expected to be asked whether the country's government had approved a Ukrainian strike with Storm Shadow missiles on a target on recognized Russian territory.
That strike had taken place a day earlier, Russian officials said, with unofficial confirmation in Kiev and London. On Wednesday, British government officials refused to publicly confirm that this had happened with London's consent, although government sources to many mainstream media outlets, including the BBC, reported it on condition of anonymity.
On Thursday, Healey told members of a parliamentary committee that he would not comment on the use of Storm Shadow. "I will not go into the operational details of the conflict, it poses a risk to operational security [...] and in the end the only one who benefits from such a public debate is President Putin," the minister said.