Russia has accused Britain of “deliberately opting for an escalation of the Ukraine crisis”, warning that it will pay a price.
This week, it was confirmed that UK drones built by two separate British companies had been used in for ‘deep strikes’ on targets inside Russian territory.
In a statement following the news, the Russian Embassy in London said Britain was acting as “an accomplice and co-perpetrator of the bloody crimes and terrorist attacks”, warning that its actions “will inevitably carry consequences”.
The deeper Britain’s involvement in the conflict, the embassy added, “the higher the price it will pay”.
Where the UK drones have been used
The strikes have hit military and industrial sites, including refineries and warehouses belonging to Wildberries, the online retailer often described as Russia’s answer to Amazon.
Ukraine says seven of the company’s 10 largest logistics centres have been “disabled”.
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said drones using British components had struck a fuel depot in the Rostov region.
Moscow has given no detail on what its response to the British-built drones might be.
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The Ministry of Defence has reiterated Britain’s support for Ukraine.
The MoD said Britain stood “shoulder to shoulder” with Ukraine and remained “committed to providing the equipment Ukraine needs”.
It is the latest jolt in an increasingly tense relationship, one that has already featured Putin’s so-called doomsday radio station and RAF jets scrambled to meet a suspected Russian bomber near UK airspace.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and controls roughly a fifth of the country.
It is estimated some 500,000 Russian troops have been killed in the conflict, whilst the number of Ukrainians killed is thought to be as high as 200,000.
At least 16,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since the war began.