Russia threatens Britain with consequences for supplying drones to Ukraine

Russia has accused the UK of “deliberately betting on the escalation of the Ukrainian crisis” after confirming information about the use of British-made drones to strike targets on Russian territory.

“The United Kingdom thus acts as an accomplice and accomplice to bloody crimes and terrorist attacks,” the Russian Embassy in Britain said in a statement published the day before.

“These actions by London will inevitably have consequences for which it will have to answer,” the diplomatic mission noted, adding that the deeper the country’s involvement in the conflict, “the higher the price” it will have to pay.

In response, a spokesman for the UK Ministry of Defense told the BBC that London “stands shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine.”

“Russia should have no doubt about the determination of this government to resist Russian aggression - both in Ukraine and in relation to Great Britain and our allies,” the department’s representative emphasized in a statement.

Britain, he added, is "determined to provide Ukraine with the equipment it needs to defend against [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's unlawful invasion."

The drones in question, manufactured by two different British companies, were used in Russia to carry out numerous successful strikes on military and industrial targets, including oil refineries and warehouses of the online retailer Wildberries.

Ukraine has repeatedly attacked this company; According to the Ukrainian side, seven of the ten largest Wildberries logistics centers were “out of action.”

A military source confirmed to the BBC that British drones were used in the attacks, which are believed to have caused more than £35 billion in economic damage.

The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, stated that for attacks on Russian territory - including an oil depot in the Kamensky district of the Rostov region - drones were used in the design of which British components and technologies were used.

Moscow's warning to Britain comes amid a wave of large-scale Ukrainian strikes against Russia, the latest of which took place on Monday. Then nine people were killed and 23 were injured, including a child.

On Saturday evening, Ukraine launched more than 800 drones, of which 600 were aimed at Moscow. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin stated that the Russian capital was subjected to one of the most massive raids in recent times. Seven deaths were reported across Russia.

That same night, Russia's attack on Ukraine left at least seven people dead and more than 39 injured.

In April, the British Ministry of Defense announced that it would transfer tens of thousands of drones, including long-range attack drones, to Ukraine in its largest ever delivery.