Kremlin adviser warns of possible attacks on UK drone factories after Britain shares missile blueprints with Ukraine
A Kremlin adviser suggested that unknown actors could target UK drone manufacturers in response to the UK's decision to provide missile component designs to Ukraine, while the British prime minister prepares a trip to the United States to discuss Ukraine's defence needs.
A senior Kremlin adviser said that "unknown sources" might carry out attacks on British factories that produce drones for Ukraine, describing such a move as a possible "semi-military" response to the United Kingdom's decision to hand over blueprints for British-made components of the Scalp missile to Kyiv. The adviser, former deputy foreign minister Andrei Fedorov, told BBC Newsnight that pressure on President Vladimir Putin to act comes from public opinion, journalists and mass media, and that any action could target enterprises rather than be directly attributed to Russia.
The comments follow the UK prime minister's announcement that he will travel to the United States in September, alongside European leaders, to lobby President Donald Trump on additional support for Ukraine. In a Bloomberg interview, the prime minister said he expects to discuss Ukraine's defence needs at the United Nations General Assembly and reaffirmed Britain's commitment to the country.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has also criticised the British decision, saying it hinders any progress toward peace and that Russian forces are already collecting data on missile production sites. The UK has previously pledged to strengthen Ukraine's air defences and has coordinated with France and Germany on a "coalition of the willing" to provide military assistance.
The British prime minister, during a recent visit to Kyiv, met President Volodymyr Zelensky and pledged continued support, stating that the UK will not back down until a lasting peace is achieved.