Russia warns that European arms factories for Ukraine are military targets

European factories producing weapons for Ukraine are potential military targets for Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a press conference, commenting on statements regarding the production of missiles for Patriot systems in Poland.

Arms factories in European countries that produce weapons for Ukraine are potential military targets for Russia. No one should assume that arms plants outside Ukraine producing weapons for the Kiev regime will be safe. Anyone who thinks otherwise is wrong, the spokeswoman said, quoted by TASS

Poland is seeking to open a center for servicing Patriot missiles in Europe and, in the longer term, also to participate in their production. This initiative was created in connection with the US plans to transfer a license for anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine. Moving assembly lines from war-torn Ukraine further west seems to be a safer option.

Poland is developing an air defense system under the Wisła program. Obtaining the possibility of servicing and, ultimately, also producing weapons components on-site could shorten the supply chain and facilitate replenishment of inventories.

Lavrov made threats earlier

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov commented on these reports. According to the TASS agency, during the meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club, the politician referred to the provisions of Russian military doctrine.

I encourage you to carefully read the relevant chapter of this extremely important document, Lavrov said.

In recent years (especially in 2024–2026), European countries have recorded a significant increase in the number of incidents, fires and acts of sabotage targeting critical infrastructure and defense industry plants. Western intelligence services and official state reports indicate that Russia is primarily behind this campaign.