A Kremlin advisor warned that a drone manufacturing factory in the UK supplying Ukraine could become a target of ‘semi-military’ retaliation by unnamed attackers after the UK agreed to deliver blueprints of "Storm Shadow" missile components to Ukraine. Meanwhile, the British Prime Minister confirmed continued support for Ukraine.
Andrey Fedorov, a Kremlin advisor and former Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, warned that a UK factory producing drones for Ukraine might be attacked by "unknown sources," suggesting the retaliation could be of a "semi-military" nature following the UK's decision to share military blueprints with Ukraine.
Fedorov told BBC Newsnight that President Vladimir Putin is under significant pressure to take certain measures against the UK, pressure coming from public opinion, journalists, and the media.
When asked about the possible nature of semi-military retaliation, Fedorov said incidents could occur at companies or factories producing drones for Ukraine, which might be attacked "not by Russia, but by unknown sources."
This warning came after the UK agreed to supply blueprints for UK-manufactured parts of the French-made SCALP long-range cruise missile, comparable to the British Storm Shadow, enabling Ukraine to produce such weapons domestically.
Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman, criticized the UK's decision, calling it an obstruction even to "the slightest progress" in peace efforts and claimed that Russian forces are gathering intelligence to identify missile production facilities for targeted strikes.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham responded that the key question is "who started the shooting," affirming that the UK will continue supporting Ukraine amid increasing Russian attacks over recent weeks.
Burnham recently visited Ukraine in his first official foreign trip since taking office, meeting President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv and chairing the "coalition of the willing" meeting, led by the UK and France.
Burnham also stated plans to travel to New York in September to attend the United Nations General Assembly and to discuss Ukraine’s defense needs with President Donald Trump and European leaders.
One urgent issue is the Patriot air defense system, with Ukraine requiring a large number of intercept missiles to counter Russia’s long-range missile attacks. Zelensky stated a need for about 300 Patriot missiles before winter, anticipating increased Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Burnham expressed confidence that solutions can be found, likely involving multiple countries and negotiations at various levels, since the United States is not the only country capable of providing Patriots to Ukraine.
Previously, Trump had allowed Ukraine to produce Patriots domestically but later reversed his stance, stating no agreement was reached and highlighting the difficulty of transferring such advanced weapons technology.
Following the meeting in Ukraine, the UK, France, and Germany pledged to urgently strengthen Ukraine’s air defense capabilities, condemned Russian attacks on cities, critical infrastructure, and civilians, and announced continued sanctions to cut off Russia’s war funding.
Burnham reiterated that the UK will stand firmly with Ukraine, stating, “Ukraine’s security is our security,” and vowed not to retreat until a just and lasting peace is achieved.
/sourceBBC