Russia warns UK and France amid rising Ukraine tensions

MOSCOW: Russia has threatened to strike British military targets both within and outside Ukraine in retaliation for Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory using British cruise missiles. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, during a Moscow news briefing, delivered one of the strongest warnings yet from Russia to the UK, a NATO member state and ally of Ukraine.

Zakharova warned London was "one step away" from becoming legally complicit in what she termed "terrorism" against Russian civilians. She stated that such actions would have "catastrophic consequences" unless Britain altered its approach. Zakharova vowed to target any British military installations and equipment in Ukraine and beyond, urging the British leadership to "carefully analyse the situation and immediately abandon the hostile, aggressive line."

The warning came a day after Russia accused Ukraine of firing British Storm Shadow missiles at a shopping center in Donetsk, a Russian-controlled city in eastern Ukraine, resulting in civilian injuries, including children. Russia alleged that Britain was incrementally escalating tensions after London granted Ukraine access to classified technology to produce Storm Shadow cruise missiles, designed to strike deep within Russia. France has already approved licensing the technology for the European missile.