Moscow has warned that it could strike British military targets both inside and outside Ukraine if Kyiv continues to fire long-range British cruise missiles into Russian territory, according to Reuters and Al Jazeera reports. The warning, delivered by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova at a news briefing in Moscow, marks the strongest direct threat yet issued by Russia against the United Kingdom, a key NATO member and staunch ally of Ukraine.
Zakharova stated that London was moving dangerously close to becoming legally complicit in what she characterized as terrorism against Russian civilians, warning of catastrophic consequences unless British leadership altered its strategic course. She emphasized that any British military installations and equipment located within Ukraine or beyond its borders could face direct retaliation in response to Ukrainian strikes carried out using British-supplied weaponry.
The diplomatic escalation follows accusations from Moscow that Ukrainian forces utilized British Storm Shadow missiles to strike a shopping centre in the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk, resulting in civilian casualties. Meanwhile, the Kremlin has repeatedly criticized London`s decision to grant Kyiv access to classified technology for domestic missile production, arguing that such measures deepen British involvement in the ongoing conflict and hinder prospects for a negotiated peace settlement.
