World News
Russia threatens strikes on British military targets over Ukraine support
Moscow warns of retaliation inside and outside Ukraine following plans to grant Kyiv technology to produce Storm Shadow cruise missiles.
The short version
- Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova warned Moscow could target British military installations inside and outside Ukraine if Kyiv fires British-made cruise missiles into Russian territory.
- The diplomatic threat follows UK plans to grant Kyiv access to classified technology to locally manufacture long-range Storm Shadow cruise missiles.
- The warning coincided with a wave of Russian drone and missile strikes targeting infrastructure across Ukraine, leaving at least one person dead and multiple injured.
- Reports also surfaced that CIA Director John Ratcliffe recently visited Moscow to warn Russia against attacking NATO allies, a visit the Kremlin dismissed as unrelated to reality.
Key facts
- Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated Russia could strike British military equipment and installations in Ukraine and beyond if Kyiv fires UK-made cruise missiles into Russia.[Al Jazeera · The Guardian]
- British Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced the UK will allow Ukraine access to classified technology to begin producing Storm Shadow long-range cruise missiles.[Al Jazeera · The Guardian]
- Russia accused Ukraine of previously using British Storm Shadow missiles against a shopping centre in Russian-controlled Donetsk, alleging it wounded civilians.[Al Jazeera]
- A concurrent Russian missile and drone barrage struck Ukrainian ports, energy, and industrial sites, killing at least one person in Kharkiv and damaging port infrastructure in Odesa.[Al Jazeera]
- The Wall Street Journal reported CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Moscow following US intelligence assessments of potential Russian action against a NATO ally.[The Guardian]
- Poland took delivery of its first shipment of South Korean Black Panther main battle tanks to deploy near the border with Kaliningrad.[The Guardian]
What remains uncertain
- Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed reports of the CIA director's visit to Moscow, calling such reporting scare stories unrelated to reality.[The Guardian]