Russia warned Britain it would pay a price after reports that UK-made drones supplied to Ukraine were used in deep strikes inside Russian territory, including an attack on a fuel depot that killed nine people.
The Russian embassy in London accused the UK of becoming an accomplice and co-perpetrator in Ukrainian attacks and of deliberately opting for an escalation in the conflict. The deeper its involvement in the conflict and the greater its support for Kiev’s terrorist machinery, the higher the price it will pay, the embassy said in a statement carried by AFP.
Sunday Times Report Triggers Diplomatic Storm
The warning followed a report in the Sunday Times that drones produced by two British defense companies had been used by Kyiv to hit military and industrial targets inside Russia. One of the manufacturers is reportedly a subsidiary of defense giant BAE Systems. The second company was not identified for security reasons.
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said drones using UK components and configurations were used to attack Russian territory, including a fuel depot in the Kamensky District of the Rostov Region, according to the BBC. The attack was part of a wider wave of Ukrainian strikes on Russia that, according to Moscow, killed nine people and injured 23, including a child.
Ukraine Escalates Deep Strikes Into Russia
Ukraine has increasingly taken the war back to Russian territory with long-range strikes aimed at military and industrial facilities supporting Moscow’s campaign. Kyiv’s military confirmed it was behind a drone attack on Russia’s Ust-Luga port complex on the Baltic Sea, one of the country’s key energy export hubs, according to the Kyiv Post.
The Kremlin’s threat to Britain marks a significant diplomatic escalation, potentially drawing a NATO member more directly into the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Western allies have generally avoided providing weapons that could be used for strikes deep inside Russia, fearing it could provoke a broader confrontation.
Russia’s defense ministry said air defenses intercepted 389 Ukrainian drones overnight in a separate wave of attacks, with interceptions concentrated near the Ukrainian border and around Moscow. The scale of the strikes underscores the growing capability of Ukraine’s long-range drone program, which has increasingly relied on domestically produced and Western-supplied systems to target Russian logistics and energy infrastructure far from the front lines.
Sources: AFP; BBC; Kyiv Post; the Sunday Times; Le Monde
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