Smirking Putin says it's a 'military secret' whether Russia will launch attacks on British soil
The Russian President taunted Britain with a smirk on his face as he refused to rule out striking defence manufacturers in British territory.
A smirking Vladimir Putin said it is a “military secret” whether Russia will attack defence firms on British soil in the latest show of Kremlin sabre-rattling.
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Russia has ramped up its threats against Britain in recent weeks after Prime Minister Andy Burnham handed Ukraine blueprints for British-made Storm Shadow missiles.
Putin’s mouthpieces have since issued stark warnings to the UK, threatening a “semi-military” response claiming Britain is now “involved” in Russia’s war in Ukraine. It also warned the UK of consequences amid reports of Ukraine using British drones in attacks.
Now, the Russian President has spoken on the matter himself.
He was asked at a conference in Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday whether he was weighing up possible strikes on British military sites.
"Could British military industrial facilities located on British territory become military targets?," a reporter asked.
In a taunting response, Putin said with a smirk on his face that it is a “military secret”.
He made clear any "British military facilities" in Ukraine were "absolutely" on Russia's hit list.
Putin added: "If there are, then absolutely, I can confirm once again: any military facilities in Ukraine are our legitimate target, British or otherwise."
It comes as fears grow senior figures in Moscow have been considering attacks on British soil, with defence manufacturers supporting Ukraine potentially regarded by Russia as legitimate targets.
Speaking to LBC on Monday, former British Army intelligence Colonel Philip Ingram said the latest threats against British defence firms should not be dismissed.
But he argued that what Putin is threatening is “nothing new.”
He told LBC’s Henry Riley: “We've seen cyber attacks from the Russians against targets in the UK, and we have seen the Russians actively targeting our undersea cables,” he said.
“We are being attacked on a daily basis.”
Col Ingram warned the latest threats amounted in part to “war in the information domain”, intended to frighten the British public, but warned the danger behind the rhetoric was real.“The reality is they are carrying out these sorts of attacks,” he added.
He warned that as Russia comes under greater pressure in Ukraine, Moscow is likely to increase operations against countries providing Kyiv with military support.
Russia, he said, knows that a direct conventional attack on Britain or another NATO member could trigger a devastating response, leaving the Kremlin instead to operate in the “grey zone”.
“It knows it cannot strike back from a conventional military perspective, so it will do what it can in what we describe as the grey zone, this sub-threshold zone — activities that are below what would trigger a NATO Article 5 response,” Col Ingram said.
“And the volume of that is increasing.”
What are Storm Shadow blueprints?
Mr Burnham has agreed to declassify information on UK components for the long-range Scalp missile, which is the French equivalent of the UK's Storm Shadow missile defence system.
Both missiles use shared French and British technology, and Ukraine and France are looking to set up local assembly lines for Scalp missiles in Ukraine.
This information will allow Ukraine to assemble its own long-range Storm Shadow missiles.
The air-launched cruise missiles, which have been in operation since 2003, have an operational range of 550km (342 miles) and have been developed to serve armed forces until 2032.
Why is Burnham handing them to Ukraine?
Mr Burnham has handed over the blueprints to help Ukraine in its battle to keep Russia at bay.
He said: “The friendship between our two countries will long outlast Russia’s illegal war. In both the fight and in the rebuilding to come, we will stand with Ukraine and deliver opportunities for people across both our countries."Russia should be in no doubt of our resolve. We will not back down until there is a just and lasting peace.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had previously criticised the decision, stating the UK had prevented a process towards peace. He added that Russia was gathering data to locate and destroy missile production in Ukraine.