Russia warns it may target British forces if Ukraine uses Storm Shadow missiles

Russia’s foreign ministry warned on Thursday that British military installations and equipment in Ukraine and elsewhere could become targets if Kyiv uses British-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles against Russian soil. The warning followed Moscow’s accusation that Ukraine struck a shopping centre in the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk with such missiles, injuring civilians, including children.

Spokesperson Maria Zakharova told a news briefing that Britain was "one step away" from legal complicity in what she called civilian-targeted terrorism and urged British leaders to abandon what she described as a hostile line, warning of “catastrophic consequences” if the policy continued.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov added that the United Kingdom was "participating in the war" and "pouring fuel on the fire." The British Ministry of Defence responded that the United Kingdom stands "shoulder to shoulder" with Ukraine and will continue to supply equipment needed to defend against Russia’s invasion.

During a visit to Kyiv for Ukraine’s Independence Day, Prime Minister Andy Burnham condemned Russia’s threats and said British support for Ukraine would not waver. He also noted that a defence contractor could release information about British components used in the SCALP missile, the French version of Storm Shadow, as Ukraine and France consider local assembly.

The warning came after earlier reports that British-made drones supplied to Ukraine were used in strikes on Russian military and industrial targets, a claim the British Ministry of Defence did not confirm. Russia had previously warned Britain on Aug. 17 that it would face a "price" for such actions.

Separately, Russia’s foreign intelligence chief Sergei Naryshkin said he met with CIA Director John Ratcliffe in Moscow, describing the encounter as routine.