- The U.K. has supplied Ukraine with British cruise missiles since 2023, but the new agreement should enable Ukraine to start manufacturing a French SCALP missile, which contains British components, domestically.
- British Prime Minister Andy Burnham visited Kyiv and announced an agreement to provide Ukraine with classified technology to manufacture a British/French-designed cruise missile in Ukraine.
- Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman, condemned the U.K.-Ukraine agreement, accusing Britain of becoming increasingly involved in the war, and stated that Russia's military is gathering information on where the missiles could be produced to target them.
- Russia's embassy in London warned that increased British involvement would carry increased consequences, following claims that U.K.-made drones were used in strikes inside Russia.
- Andrei Fedorov warned that U.K. factories producing drones for Ukraine could be attacked by 'unknown sources' or 'semi-military' forces, stating that "something might happen with enterprises, with factories, which are producing drones for Ukraine."
- Fedorov noted he could not "exclude 100% that there might be some semi-military" action, including the possibility of cyberattacks by "unknown sources, not official level, of course" or unspecified political measures against Britain.
Andrei Fedorov, a former Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, cautioned that U.K. drone factories aiding Ukraine might face attacks from "unknown sources" as retaliation for Britain's military support. He stated, "Something might happen with enterprises, with factories, which are producing drones for Ukraine."67
Fedorov elaborated that these actions could include cyberattacks or other political measures, emphasizing that they would not be official Russian actions. His comments followed a recent agreement by British Prime Minister Andy Burnham to provide Ukraine with classified technology for manufacturing a British/French-designed cruise missile domestically.2
The U.K. has been supplying Ukraine with British cruise missiles since 2023, and this new deal aims to enable Ukraine to produce the French SCALP missile, which incorporates British components. In response, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov condemned the U.K.-Ukraine agreement, asserting that Russia is monitoring potential missile production sites in Ukraine for targeting.134
Peskov stated, "Russia's military was gathering information about where the French missiles could be produced in Ukraine, so the facilities could be targeted." This escalation follows warnings from the Russian embassy in London regarding the consequences of increased British involvement in the conflict, particularly after claims that U.K.-made drones were used in strikes within Russia.
“The warning follows Andy Burnham's Kyiv visit, where the U.K. agreed to share technology for Ukraine to build French SCALP missiles domestically. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia's military is gathering information on production sites to target them, escalating tensions over British involvement.”
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