UK Minister Backs Ukraine Using British Weapons to Carry Out Attacks Inside Russia

In response, Russia warned it could hit 'decision making' centers in Kyiv even if Western officials are present

The UK’s armed forces minister said Tuesday that London backs Ukraine carrying out strikes inside Russia with British weapons as the West is stepping up military assistance to Kyiv.

British MP James Heappey said that it was “completely legitimate” for Ukraine to be hitting targets inside Russia to disrupt logistics, adding that it was “not necessarily a problem” if the Ukrainians carried out such attacks using weapons London provided to Kyiv.

The Russian Defense Ministry responded to Heappey’s comments, warning of retaliation. “We would like to underline that London’s direct provocation of the Kyiv regime into such actions, if such actions are carried out, will immediately lead to our proportional response,” the Ministry said.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that it could “launch retaliatory strikes with high-precision long-range weapons at decision-making centers in Kyiv” and that it was not necessarily a problem if Western officials were present at the sites it was targeting.

The UK has been one of the most hawkish NATO members in its rhetoric and support for Ukraine since Russia invaded. Earlier this month, The Times reported that British Special Air Service (SAS) soldiers were deployed to Kyiv to train Ukrainian forces on anti-tank weapons provided by London.

The SAS deployment is the first known NATO military presence in Ukraine since Russia invaded on February 24.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.