Ukraine faces a “serious moment” in its defense against Russian invasion, Defense Secretary John Healey said, refusing to take part in verifying reports that the war-torn country had launched long-range missiles supplied by Britain at its enemy.

The Russian army announced that two British-made Storm Shadow missiles were shot down, following reports that weapon remnants were found in the Kursk region on the country’s border with Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister insisted that Britain’s support for Ukraine was “always in self-defence”, accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of wanting “destruction, not peace”.

Meanwhile, Kyiv claimed that Moscow had fired an intercontinental ballistic missile at one of its cities; This was the first time this type of weapon was used in combat.

British ministers dodged questions about whether Britain allowed Volodymyr Zelensky to fire long-range missiles at Russian territory after President Joe Biden said the US had given permission.

And at the first sitting of this Parliament’s House of Commons Defense Committee, Mr Healey proved to be no exception.

Asked to confirm reports of Storm Shadow being used by Ukraine, the Defense Minister said: “I will not go into the operational details of the conflict.

“Not only does it put operational security at risk, but in the end, the only person who benefits from such a public debate is President Putin.”

Citing British intelligence, Mr Healey said the battle lines in Ukraine were now “less stable than at any time since the early days of the full-scale Russian invasion”.

“This is a serious moment when I appear before the committee,” he told MPs.

Mr Healey added: “While Ukraine’s actions on the battlefield speak for themselves, rest assured that the UK Government is increasing our support for Ukraine, determined to continue doubling down on our support for Ukraine.”

Speaking at the same time, Sir Keir Starmer told the House of Commons that the UK “will not be deterred or distracted by reckless threats”, referring to Vladimir Putin’s lowering of the threshold for using its nuclear arsenal.

This was widely seen as a response to Mr Biden’s announcement that he would allow Ukraine to use US-made long-range ATACMS missiles.

Sir Keir also told MPs: “We have consistently said that we will do whatever it takes to support Ukraine and put it in the best possible position going into winter.

“Britain support for Ukraine is always in self-defence, proportionate, coordinated, agile and in response to Russia’s own actions and in accordance with international law.”