Moscow warned on Monday that it would strike British military targets inside Ukraine and elsewhere if Ukrainian forces hit Russia with British-supplied long-range missiles. The sending of these missiles to Ukraine was approved by the British Foreign Secretary David Cameron.
During a visit to Kiev last week, Secretary Cameron said Ukrainian forces would be able to use British long-range missiles to strike targets inside Russian territory. “As Russia is striking inside Ukraine, you can understand why Ukraine feels the need to make sure it is defending itself,” Mr Cameron said in an interview with the Reuters news agency last week.
Mr. Cameron also said that London has not set preconditions for how the Ukrainian forces will use the weapons provided by Britain.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced in a statement that it had summoned the British ambassador to Moscow, Nigel Casey, and warned him that if Ukrainian forces use British-supplied weapons to attack Russia, Moscow could retaliate against “any British military facility.” and equipment on Ukrainian territory or beyond”.
“The ambassador was called upon to reflect on the inevitable catastrophic consequences of such hostile steps from London and to immediately reject in the strongest and most unequivocal manner the belligerent and provocative statements by the head of the Foreign Office,” Russia’s statement said.
Earlier, Russia announced it was planning new nuclear drills near Ukraine’s borders, citing “threats” made by Western leaders, including French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron and British officials, as well as in response to extensive NATO training exercises. s near the borders of Russia.
UKRAINE CONTINUES TO REPAIR ENERGY NETWORK AS RUSSIA ATTACKS INCREASES
Meanwhile, Ukraine announced on Monday that it has restored power to hundreds of thousands of people who were left without electricity after overnight attacks by Russian forces. Ukraine admits, however, that it is facing “urgent challenges” to maintain the integrity of its energy infrastructure.
Russian forces have repeatedly struck Ukrainian energy facilities, wreaking havoc and reducing energy supplies across the country. More than 400,000 homes were left without power in the Sumy region after Russian forces struck high-voltage power lines, Ukrainian energy officials said.
Russian forces have stepped up attacks in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions in recent months, raising fears that Russia may be preparing a ground offensive in these regions, which were only partially taken at the beginning of the offensive by Russian forces.
Kiev also says Moscow has stepped up air and ground attacks as it approaches May 9, the day Russia marks its victory over Nazi Germany during World War II. Ukraine, meanwhile, does not have enough ammunition and is awaiting vital supplies from the United States.
This article was sourced from Reuters, Associated Press and AFP news agencies.
