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Russia has warned the United Kingdom that it will face unspecified “consequences” over the use of British-made drones in recent Ukrainian strikes on military and industrial targets inside Russian territory, sharply escalating tensions between Moscow and London.
The Russian Embassy in the UK accused the British government of deliberately escalating the war in Ukraine after a military source confirmed that drones supplied by British companies had been used in recent attacks on targets deep inside Russia.
“London’s actions will inevitably carry consequences for which it will have to answer,” the embassy said, warning that “the deeper its involvement in the conflict… the higher the price it will pay”.
Moscow did not specify what measures it might take against Britain. The warning came as Ukraine intensified its long-range drone campaign against Russia, targeting areas around Moscow as well as oil refineries, logistics facilities and other strategic infrastructure.
A spokesperson for the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), meanwhile, said Britain remained firmly committed to supporting Ukraine.
“Russia should be in no doubt about the resolve of this government to stand against Russian aggression, in Ukraine and against the UK and our allies,” the spokesperson said.
The MoD said Britain was “committed to providing the equipment Ukraine needs to defend itself” against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion.
Two British companies are known to have developed drones supplied to Ukraine. A military source confirmed that UK-made drones had been involved in recent Ukrainian attacks inside Russia.
The attacks have reportedly inflicted substantial economic damage, with Ukrainian strikes increasingly affecting Russia’s fuel supplies and logistics networks.
Russia has previously accused Britain of supporting attacks on its territory through the provision of drone technology and Storm Shadow cruise missiles.
In 2024, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova alleged that Ukrainian drones using British components and configurations had been employed in attacks on Russian territory, including an attack on a fuel depot in the Rostov region.
Britain has been one of Ukraine’s most prominent international military supporters since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. London has supplied Kyiv with weapons, ammunition, air-defence equipment and drone technology, while pledging continued military assistance.
In April, the British MoD announced plans to provide Ukraine with tens of thousands of drones, including long-range strike systems, describing it as the country’s largest drone package.
The latest Russian warning followed a major wave of Ukrainian drone attacks. Russian officials said around 620 drones were launched towards the Moscow region overnight, with Russian air defences claiming to have destroyed more than 180 of them. Several people were reportedly wounded.
Moscow regional governor Andrey Vorobyov said a 10-year-old girl was injured and a logistics facility operated by Russian online retailer Wildberries was damaged.
Wildberries said the logistics complex sustained “minor damage”.
The latest strikes came after Ukraine launched around 822 drones towards Russia on Saturday night, according to Russian regional officials. About 600 were reportedly directed towards Moscow.
Vorobyov described the attack as one of the most extensive drone assaults on the Russian capital in recent memory. Seven deaths were reported across Russia in connection with the strikes.
Ukraine has increasingly relied on domestically developed drones and missiles alongside systems supplied by Western allies. Its new FP-5 Flamingo cruise missile is among the weapons Kyiv has recently highlighted as part of its expanding long-range strike capability.
The escalation has also been accompanied by deadly Russian attacks across Ukraine.
At least 17 people were killed in Russian missile and drone strikes, according to Ukrainian officials. The deadliest incident occurred in Pechenihy, a village in northeastern Ukraine, where two Russian missiles struck central areas, killing 10 people.
Private homes, a café and a post office were reportedly hit in the attack. Three people were killed in Sumy, two in Zaporizhzhia and two in Kherson, while five people were wounded in Izium near the front line. Kyiv also came under several waves of attacks.
Ukrainian officials said the latest Russian strikes involved a combination of missiles and drones.
On Saturday night, Russian attacks reportedly killed at least seven people in Ukraine and injured more than 39.
The exchange of threats highlights the increasingly direct confrontation between Russia and Western countries supporting Ukraine.
Russia currently controls roughly one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, while Ukraine has increasingly demonstrated the ability to strike targets hundreds of kilometres inside Russia.
For Moscow, the involvement of British-made weapons in such attacks raises the stakes of London’s military support for Kyiv. For Britain, however, officials maintain that Ukraine has the right to defend itself against Russia’s invasion.
The Russian embassy’s latest statement did not indicate whether Moscow was considering diplomatic, economic or military measures against Britain. But its warning that the UK would face a rising “price” as its involvement deepens signals growing Russian pressure on one of Ukraine’s most important European supporters.
With both sides intensifying long-range strikes and Ukraine expanding its ability to hit targets deep inside Russia, the latest dispute over British-made drones adds another layer of tension to an already increasingly dangerous conflict. Source: BBC News