Russia has warned the UK that it could target British military installations and equipment in “Ukraine and beyond” if Ukrainian forces use British-provided weapons to strike Russian territory.
Russia made the warning directly to the British ambassador in Moscow, who was summonsed in response to UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron saying Ukraine has the “right” to use British weapons in attacks on Russia.
“Any British military facilities and equipment on the territory of Ukraine and beyond could be a response to Ukrainian strikes with the use of British weapons on the territory of Russia,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“The ambassador was called upon to reflect on the inevitable catastrophic consequences of such hostile steps by London and to immediately refute the belligerent provocative statements of the head of the Foreign Office in the most decisive and unequivocal way,” the ministry said.
London has been providing Ukraine with Storm Shadow missiles, which have a range of up to 155 miles. Earlier this year, the UK confirmed it had a “small number” of troops inside Ukraine, and a German military leak revealed British troops “on the ground” in Ukraine are helping Ukrainian forces fire the Storm Shadow missiles.
The NATO missile supply and targeting support for Ukraine has always risked a major escalation of the war. But as the conflict has dragged on, the US, Britain, and other NATO countries have increased their involvement in the war despite the risk of provoking a direct confrontation between the Western alliance and Russia, which could quickly turn nuclear.
