Former Russian Deputy Foreign Minister warns of possible attacks on UK drone factories supporting Ukraine

Russia's former Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Fedorov said on Monday that factories in the United Kingdom that manufacture drones for Ukraine may become targets of "semi-military" or other unknown forces. He told the BBC's Newsnight programme that President Vladimir Putin faces domestic pressure to respond to Britain's expanding military assistance for Kyiv, but any action might come from sources other than the Russian state.

"Something might happen with enterprises, with factories, which are producing drones for Ukraine. They could be attacked — not by Russia, but from unknown sources," Fedorov said.

He added that he could not rule out semi-military activity, including possible cyberattacks, and suggested that political measures could also be taken against the United Kingdom.

The comments followed a recent agreement announced by British Prime Minister Andy Burnham during a visit to Kyiv, under which the UK will provide technology for Ukraine to produce a British-French cruise missile domestically. The deal expands on earlier UK supplies of cruise missiles and aims to enable Ukraine to manufacture the French SCALP missile, which incorporates British components.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov condemned the agreement, stating that Russia is gathering intelligence on potential production sites in Ukraine so they could be targeted. The Russian embassy in London has also warned that increased British involvement in the conflict could lead to heightened consequences.

Britain has recently increased its drone support for Ukraine, announcing a package that includes at least 120,000 drones of various types for delivery this year. Burnham reiterated the UK's commitment to supplying weapons to Ukraine, emphasizing the need to maintain pressure on Russia.