Russia has delivered a stark threat over Britain’s decision to supply Ukraine with secret missile technology today.
Moscow accused the UK of ‘participating in this war’ as Andy Burnham arrived in Kyiv for his first foreign visit.
The Prime Minister announced that European defence firm MBDA has been given permission to share information on UK components for the long-range Scalp missile (Storm Shadow) to help Ukraine to establish a local manufacturing line.
He insisted there would be no let-up in the UK’s support for Ukraine against Vladimir Putin’s aggression, branding Russia’s threats to the UK ‘outrageous’.
However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has responded to UK’s solidarity, saying: ‘Britain is participating in this war. It is participating in this war on the side of the Kyiv regime.
‘Britain methodically and regularly pours fuel on the fire and methodically and regularly plots to prevent any progress in the peace process.’
He added that the Russian armed forces were intent on identifying ‘the production sites of such missiles, the production sites of other military equipment’ in order to destroy them.
It emerged over the weekend that the Russian ambassador has been withdrawn from London as relations deteriorate further.
The UK’s decision means the ‘deep precision’ Scalp – which is built using both British and French technology – could now be produced locally in Ukraine.
The weapons are critical for long-range strikes reaching targets deep inside Russia.
