Russia warned that British military installations could become targets both inside and outside Ukraine if Kyiv continues using long-range British weapons to attack sites deep within Russian territory, escalating Moscow’s threats against London over its military support for Ukraine.
The warning followed Russian accusations a day earlier that Ukrainian forces used British-supplied Storm Shadow cruise missiles to strike a shopping center in Russian-controlled Donetsk, leaving several civilians, including children, wounded.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova accused Britain of moving dangerously close to direct legal responsibility for attacks Moscow characterizes as terrorism against civilians. She said London was “one step away” from such complicity and warned of “catastrophic consequences” if Britain maintains its current policy, according to Reuters.
“We have repeatedly warned that any British military installations and equipment in Ukraine and beyond its borders could be targeted in response to Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory carried out using British weapons,” Zakharova said at a news briefing in Moscow.
Zakharova called on the British government to “immediately, in the most resolute and unequivocal manner, abandon the hostile, aggressive line” and warned that continued escalation could push the confrontation to an “entirely new level.”
The Russian threat came days after British Prime Minister Andy Burnham traveled to Ukraine for the country’s Independence Day on Aug. 24. During the visit, Burnham announced that a defense contractor could disclose classified information concerning British components incorporated into the long-range SCALP cruise missile as Ukraine and France work toward establishing assembly lines for the weapon in Ukraine, according to the British government.
The SCALP is France’s version of Britain’s Storm Shadow cruise missile and has a range exceeding 155 miles, allowing Ukrainian forces to hit targets far beyond the immediate front lines.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov accused London of “participating in the war” and “pouring fuel on the fire.”
Britain, however, made clear that Moscow’s threats would not cause it to retreat from its support for Kyiv. A Ministry of Defense spokesperson told Reuters that the United Kingdom remained “shoulder to shoulder” with Ukraine and would continue supplying Kyiv with the equipment necessary “to defend itself against (President Vladimir) Putin’s illegal invasion.”
“Russia should be in no doubt about the resolve of this government to stand against Russian aggression in Ukraine and against the U.K. and our allies,” the spokesperson said.
Burnham also responded directly to Moscow while visiting Kyiv, denouncing Russia’s “outrageous threats” and declaring that Britain would remain committed to supporting Ukraine.
The latest confrontation follows a separate Russian warning issued to Britain on Aug. 17, when Moscow said London would pay a “price” after The Times reported that British-made drones supplied to Ukraine had been used for the first time to attack military and industrial sites inside Russia.
Britain’s Ministry of Defense has not confirmed whether the drones used in those attacks were British-made.
Zakharova’s latest warnings came as President Donald Trump expressed little concern that the conflict could expand into a direct Russian attack against NATO. Trump told Axios in a telephone interview Thursday that he was not worried about Moscow attacking a member of the alliance.
Meanwhile, amid the increasingly sharp public exchanges between Russia and the West, Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, the SVR, confirmed Thursday that he met with CIA Director John Ratcliffe in Moscow earlier this week, according to Reuters.
Naryshkin characterized his discussions with Ratcliffe as routine and said the two intelligence chiefs addressed matters falling within the responsibilities of their respective agencies.
Trump likewise played down the significance of Ratcliffe’s visit to Moscow, describing the trip as “semi-routine,” according to Axios.
