Russia has warned that British military installations and equipment in Ukraine and beyond could be targeted if Kyiv continues striking Russian territory with British-supplied long-range weapons. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused London of pushing the conflict towards a new level of escalation and warned of severe consequences. Moscow did not identify any specific targets, and the phrase “beyond Ukraine” does not by itself mean that Russia has decided to strike mainland Britain. Any attack on the territory of a NATO member, however, would represent an extremely serious escalation in relations between Russia and the alliance.
The warning follows Britain’s decision to give Ukraine access to sensitive technical information intended to support production and assembly of long-range missiles from the Storm Shadow/SCALP family. Moscow accuses Britain and France of deepening their direct involvement in the war, while the UK maintains that its military support is intended to help Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression. Storm Shadow/SCALP are precision cruise missiles with a range exceeding 250 kilometres and have already been used by Ukrainian forces against Russian military targets. The increasingly confrontational rhetoric highlights the continuing danger that disputes over Western long-range weapons could widen the confrontation between Russia and NATO. Sources: Reuters, Associated Press and the Russian Foreign Ministry.
