Because of Britain’s backing for Ukraine, the Kremlin has threatened that it may attack military facilities in the UK, as well as British diplomats returning to Kyiv after a defence minister’s ‘provocative’ warning of destroying Russia.
The Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, hinted that strikes against NATO countries that provide Ukraine with armaments may be authorised.
She warned: ‘Do we understand correctly that for the sake of disrupting the logistics of military supplies, Russia can strike military targets on the territory of those Nato countries that supply arms to the Kyiv regime?
‘After all, this directly leads to deaths and bloodshed on Ukrainian territory. As far as I understand, Britain is one of those countries.’
Her comments came after UK Armed Forces Minister James Heappey claimed the UK supported Ukrainian air attacks on Russian facilities.
He went on to say that British weaponry would be “absolutely legal” if they were used in such assaults, despite the fact that none are currently suspected.
Heappey also stated that if the war in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk areas ‘froze’, Britain will resume training of the Ukrainian military within Ukraine.
The Kremlin, on the other side, slammed him for ‘provocation.’ In a dramatic escalation of hostilities, Moscow also threatened to strike at ‘decision-making centres’ in Kyiv in response — even if British and other Western diplomats were there.
Meanwhile, Tobias Ellwood, the head of the defence select committee, warned that Heappey’s comments may provoke retaliatory attacks in Poland.
He also warned that Russia may strike western targets outside of Ukraine, telling The New York Times that the West was becoming increasingly entangled in a proxy war.
It comes after Boris Johnson confirmed last week that the British embassy in Kyiv will reopen two months after personnel were evacuated when the violence broke out. The embassy is expected to open this week, pending security concerns. Melinda Simmons, the British ambassador to Ukraine, is expected to be among the first to return.
American ambassadors would also return to the capital ‘within weeks,’ according to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
‘We would want to highlight that London’s blatant incitement of the Kyiv government into such acts – if such actions are carried out – will instantly lead to our proportional retaliation,’ a Kremlin spokesman said in response to Heappey’s backing for Ukrainian strikes on Russian supply lines.
‘As we have warned, the Russian armed forces are in round-the-clock readiness to launch retaliatory strikes with high-precision long-range weapons at decision-making centres in Kyiv.
The presence of advisers from Western countries in the Ukrainian decision-making centres won’t necessarily pose a problem for Russia in making a decision to launch retaliatory action.’
Mr Heappey told Times Radio yesterday that the UK has a responsibility to back any Ukrainian strikes on Russian infrastructure that may save civilian lives. A critical replenishment depot in Bryansk, Russia, was struck this week, resulting in explosions at petroleum tanks and a refinery. Ukraine has not acknowledged being the perpetrator of the attack.
He said: ‘I think it is certainly the case that things [weapons] that the international community are now providing to Ukraine have the range to be used over the borders. But that’s not necessarily a problem. It is completely legitimate for Ukraine to be targeting in Russia’s depth in order to disrupt the logistics that if they weren’t disrupted would directly contribute to death and carnage on Ukrainian soil.’
He also stated that if the West continues to deliver the required armaments, Ukraine can yet win the war.
Meanwhile, 40 Nato and EU defence ministers gathered in Germany yesterday to agree to provide Ukraine with more powerful weapons equipment.
Germany has finally declared that it will send 50 Gepard anti-aircraft systems after weeks of dithering. Israel came after the US and Europe slammed it for being much too cautious to send heavier weapons because it worried the war would spread.
Senior officials from the alliance would meet once a month, according to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, to ensure that possibilities to deliver military assets are maximised. ‘We have no time to waste,’ he said emphatically. ‘We have to travel at warp speed.’
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss expressed her support for the UK delivering more powerful weaponry to Ukraine. She said that supplying ‘defensive armament’ was no longer sufficient because the nature of the conflict had changed. She told MPs: ‘For too long there was a false distinction between defensive and offensive weapons. It became an excuse for some to drag their feet. That time has now passed.’