British-made anti-aircraft vehicles that unleash Starstreak missiles deployed to help Ukraine

Boris Johnson is set to supply high-tech armoured vehicles with anti-aircraft missiles mounted on them to Ukraine to take down Vladimir Putin‘s jets and helicopters.

The Prime Minister is set to give the beleaguered country a number of Stormer HVMs to help try and clear the skies of Russian aircraft as the war rages on in eastern Europe.

The 13-ton vehicles, which only need three people to crew them – a driver, commander and gunner – could be loaded onto transport planes and sent to Ukraine within days. 

A Stormer vehicle pictured firing a Starstreak High Velocity Missile. The Government is set to send these armoured vehicles to support Ukrainian troops

Boris Johnson could send the advanced anti-aircraft vehicles and they could arrive in the warzone within days

According to The Sun a Ukrainian delegation was shown the weapons in action at Salisbury Plain two weeks ago.

It added experts had hailed the addition of the Stormer to the war meant it was ‘the best kit’ sent by Ukrainian allies yet.

It comes after defence secretary Ben Wallace revealed last month the UK was going to send the Starstreak system to Ukraine. 

These missiles, which can be shoulder mounted or put on the turret of the Stormer, break into three projectiles after being fired, allowing them to perform multiple strikes on targets.

They travel at more than three times the speed of sound and are well suited to taking down low-flying enemy jets.

Colonel Richard Kemp, former commander of British troops in Afghanistan, told the Sun: ‘The Stormer/Starstreak combination will be a huge boost to Ukraine’s fighting capability.

‘It is an extremely ­effective, highly mobile combat vehicle that will do severe damage to any attempts at low-level attack by Putin’s air force.’

It comes as Russian troops began shelling cities in eastern Ukraine, with President Zelensky saying ‘the battle for the Donbas’ region of the country has now begun. 

After weeks of having their assaults on Kyiv thwarted at every turn, Putin’s commanders are now refocusing their efforts on the territories of Donetsk and Luhansk,

The Stormer vehicles are expected to be useful to Ukrainian troops as they can move quickly and on unstable ground to get into position

Ukrainian media outlets and Telegram channels reported a series of explosions along the front line in the Donetsk region, with shelling taking place in Marinka, Slavyansk and Kramatorsk throughout Monday evening.  

Local officials and media also said explosions were heard in Kharkiv in the northeast of Ukraine, Mykolaiv in the south and Zaporizhzhia in the southeast.

Fighting in eastern Ukraine has intensified in recent weeks since Russia withdrew many of its troops from areas around Kyiv, but the synchronised bombardment of several key eastern cities suggests the war has entered a new phase.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday said Russia’s large-scale offensive in the eastern Donbas region had begun

After weeks of having their assaults on Kyiv thwarted at every turn, Putin’s commanders are now refocusing their efforts on the Donbas region that pro-Moscow separatists have partly controlled since 2014

‘We can now confirm that Russian troops have begun the battle for the Donbas, which they have been preparing for a long time. A large part of the Russian army is now dedicated to this offensive,’ Zelensky said in his daily presidential address last night.

‘No matter how many Russian soldiers are brought here, we will fight. We will defend ourselves.

‘I am grateful to all our fighters, to all our heroic cities in Donbas, Mariupol, as well as to the cities in the region of Kharkiv that are being held.’