A senior Russian official has warned of a 'semi-military' response and potential hacker attacks targeting British factories that produce drones and components for long-range missiles used by Ukraine. The threat comes as Russia accused the United Kingdom of directly participating in the conflict, with a presidential adviser stating that Moscow views the UK as "evil number one."
Andrei Fedorov, a former Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, told BBC Newsnight that there is significant political pressure on President Putin to take action against the UK. Fedorov suggested that Russia perceives the UK's assistance to Ukraine as direct involvement in the war. He indicated that a new phase of escalation could involve "not only verbal but maybe some visible reaction" from Russia, including "technical reaction, maybe some hackers attack from unknown source, not from official level."
Fedorov elaborated that British factories producing drones for Ukraine could be targeted by "unknown sources." He also stated that hackers might target "concrete enterprises" involved in the production of drones or components for Storm Shadow missiles. He explained that by allowing the sharing of information on UK components for the SCALP missile, which is built with British and French technology, Britain has become "much more involved" itself in the war, a move Moscow considers direct military involvement.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had previously claimed that "Britain is participating in this war" and that the UK "methodically and regularly pours fuel on the fire and methodically and regularly plots to prevent any progress in the peace process." He added that Russian armed forces intend to identify and destroy "the production sites of such missiles, the production sites of other military equipment."
Despite these threats, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who was visiting Kyiv, insisted that the UK would not reduce its support for Ukraine. He called Russia's threats "outrageous" and stated, "My nation kept the flame of European freedom alive in the 20th century, you hold that flame in the 21st. Despite Russia's outrageous threats to my country, we will continue our support for Ukraine."
Burnham met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, emphasizing continued British backing. He also chaired a meeting of the "coalition of the willing," urging allies to provide Ukraine with more Patriot interceptor missiles and to increase economic pressure on Russia. Burnham noted that Russia's economy is facing challenges, including a budget deficit and declining oil revenues.
The Kremlin has previously warned of "consequences" over the use of British drones by Ukraine to strike targets deep within Russia, stating that "the deeper Britain became involved, 'the higher price it will pay.'"
Relations between Russia and the UK have reached a "unprecedentedly low level," according to Moscow, which recently recalled its ambassador from London. The UK's decision to allow information sharing on SCALP missile components means these weapons, critical for long-range strikes, could potentially be produced locally in Ukraine.