Russia threatens UK military targets over missile tech sharing

Russia has warned that it could strike British military targets, both inside and outside Ukraine, in retaliation for Ukrainian strikes using British-supplied missiles. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that Britain's "hostile stance" on Ukraine risked escalating the conflict to a new level. She specifically criticized Britain and France for supplying sensitive missile technology to Ukraine, noting that Britain had announced it would allow Kyiv access to classified technology to begin domestic production of Storm Shadow long-range cruise missiles.

Former Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Fedorov suggested that factories in Britain producing drones for Ukraine could be targeted by "semi-military" or "unknown" forces, not officially by Russia. He indicated that President Vladimir Putin was under pressure to act against Britain, and that such actions could include cyberattacks or unspecified political measures. Fedorov expressed concern that the conflict could spread beyond Ukraine's borders.

In response to these threats, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham reaffirmed the UK's support for Kyiv, emphasizing the importance of maintaining pressure on Russia and squeezing its ability to fund the war. Burnham highlighted that allies were working to bolster Ukraine's air defenses. The UK and Ukraine have also entered into a new military technology partnership, granting British experts access to Ukrainian data for training AI models. The European Union has released €6.1 billion in military aid to enhance Ukraine's air defenses as part of a larger €90 billion loan package.