Washington / Belgrade | Ukraine has fired UK cruise missiles at military targets inside Russia, and Western embassies in Kyiv were shuttered, as fears grow that the country’s war with Russia is teetering on the brink of potentially unthinkable escalation.

Reports from several news agencies quoted Western intelligence sources confirming that Ukraine’s military had sent Storm Shadow missiles into enemy territory. A Russian Telegram channel said British-origin missile debris had been found in Kursk, near Ukraine, and missiles had also been intercepted over the Black Sea port of Yeysk.