Russia warned on Thursday that British military facilities in Ukraine and elsewhere could become targets in response to Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory using UK-supplied weapons.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow had repeatedly warned Britain about the potential consequences of Ukraine using British weapons to strike targets inside Russia.
“We have repeatedly warned that any British military installations and equipment in Ukraine and beyond could be targeted in response to Ukrainian strikes using British weapons on Russian territory,” Zakharova told a press briefing in Moscow.
She described Britain’s supply of Storm Shadow long-range cruise missiles to Kyiv as evidence of what Moscow considers London’s deep involvement in the Ukraine war.
Zakharova said Britain had initially avoided questions about how the missiles were being used after deliveries began in 2023, but claimed their use later became clear and had expanded beyond the geographical limits originally indicated by London.
She referred to comments by former British Foreign Secretary David Cameron in May 2024, when he said it was for Ukraine to determine how and where British-supplied weapons should be used.
Zakharova also criticised British Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s reported announcement that the UK would provide Ukraine with classified blueprints for British-made components of the SCALP missile, the French version of the Storm Shadow, to enable domestic production.
“Andy Burnham’s government understands, I believe, where this will lead,” she said.
The Russian spokeswoman accused Britain of pursuing a policy aimed at inflicting a “strategic defeat” on Russia and warned of what she described as potentially severe consequences from continued British involvement.
Zakharova urged the British government to reconsider its policy towards Moscow and abandon what she characterised as its “hostile, aggressive stance” against Russia.