Russia has warned that British military facilities could become targets if Ukraine uses UK-supplied long-range missiles to strike Russian territory, escalating Moscow’s rhetoric over
Western military support for Kyiv.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday that Britain’s involvement in providing advanced weapons to Ukraine could expose British military installations both inside Ukraine and elsewhere to possible Russian retaliation.
She urged the British government to reconsider what Moscow describes as London’s increasingly confrontational policy toward the war, warning that continued support for Ukraine could push the conflict into a “new level.”
Zakharova also accused Britain and France of taking dangerous risks by sharing advanced missile technology with Ukraine. Earlier during the same briefing in Moscow, she said the two countries were “playing with fire” by supporting Kyiv’s development of long-range strike capabilities.
The warning came days after Britain announced that it would give Ukraine access to classified technology needed to manufacture Storm Shadow cruise missiles domestically. The weapons have a range of hundreds of kilometres and are designed to hit targets well beyond the immediate battlefield.
The British government’s decision marks a significant step in defence cooperation with Ukraine, potentially allowing Kyiv to develop a larger and more sustainable supply of long-range missiles rather than relying entirely on deliveries from Western partners.
France has also approved the licensing of technology associated with the missile system, which was jointly developed by British and French defence companies.
Moscow has repeatedly objected to Western weapons being used against targets inside Russia, arguing that increasingly sophisticated military assistance risks direct confrontation between Russia and NATO countries. Western governments, however, have maintained that their support is intended to strengthen Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against Russian attacks.
Zakharova’s latest comments represent another warning from Moscow that Russia could respond beyond Ukraine if it believes British military assistance is being used to conduct strikes against Russian territory.
The remarks add to growing concerns that the expansion of Ukraine’s long-range strike capabilities could further widen the confrontation between Russia and its Western supporters. Photo by Corrado Baldassi, Wikimedia commons.
