Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has warned that Britain could face military strikes over its support for Ukraine. The UK announced on Monday that it would allow Ukraine to access classified technology to produce Storm Shadow long-range cruise missiles capable of striking deep within Russia. This decision has drawn strong condemnation from Russia, with President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying it will "add fuel to the fire" of the conflict. Kremlin adviser Andrei Fedorov warned that British factories manufacturing drones for Ukraine could face targeting by "unknown sources", and suggested that a "technical reaction" or "hackers attack" may be possible against the UK.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-27,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Russia has been warning Britain that it will face consequences for supplying drones to Ukraine, which have been used to attack targets on Russian territory. In response to reports of British-made drones being used in strikes against Russia, the Russian embassy in London said "London's actions will inevitably carry consequences for which it will have to answer". The UK has been a strong supporter of Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, committing around 25 billion pounds ($47 billion) in support, including 16 billion pounds in military aid.
The use of British-made drones against Russia is believed to be the first time they have been used for long-range strikes against Russian territory. Ukraine has been using these drones to hit oil refineries and logistics facilities, causing significant economic damage, with reports suggesting that the attacks have caused over £35bn in economic damage.
The UK's Ministry of Defence did not confirm whether British drones had been used, but a spokesperson said that "Britain stands shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine and we are committed to providing the equipment Ukraine needs to defend itself against Putin's illegal invasion."
Meanwhile, in Ukraine, at least five people have been killed and more than 10 injured in the latest wave of Russian strikes, officials have said. The attacks caused fires across the capital, Kyiv, including at a book market. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of targeting civilian infrastructure.
Separately, a Russian missile attack killed 10 people on Tuesday in a village in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region, Ukrainian authorities said. The attack damaged 10 private buildings, a cafe, a post office, a store and at least seven cars.
Written for “Russia-Ukraine Conflict Escalates” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 26 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
verbatim and was checked against the article text before being
stored, so you can find it in the original.
Leaning score +0.35 for article 2745 (high confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-08-27
Russia has warned it could strike British military targets over the UK’s support for Ukraine.
uncertain
it → warn → Ukraine
Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman told the UK to back off on what she called London's hostile stance on the war, which she said risked taking the conflict to an entirely new level.
asserted
she → tell → level
Maria Zakharova told the same Moscow news briefing earlier that Britain and France were "playing with fire" by supplying sensitive missile technology to Ukraine.
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Britain → tell → Ukraine
Britain announced on Monday it would allow Kyiv access to classified technology to start its own production of Storm Shadow long-range cruise missiles, capable of carrying out strikes deep within Russia.
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it → announce → Russia
France has already given its assent to license the technology for the European missile.
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France → give → missile
That decision has drawn strong condemnation from Russia, with President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying it would add “fuel to the fire” of the conflict.
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it → draw → conflict
But Andy Burnham told reporters in Kyiv during a visit earlier this week: “Who started the fire?
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Who → tell → fire
That’s the question, isn’t it?
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it → ’ → ?
It comes as tensions between the Kremlin and Downing Street continue to escalate, a week after Russia’s embassy in the UK said reports that Ukrainian forces had used unmanned aircraft manufactured by two UK companies “confirm that London is deliberately opting for an escalation of the Ukraine crisis”.
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London → come → crisis
It accused Britain of “seeking to contain Russia and inflict maximum damage on it by proxy” and warned that the deeper its involvement becomes, “the higher the price it will pay”.
“London’s actions will inevitably carry consequences for which it will have to answer,” it said.
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it → accuse → which
But Mr Burnham hit back, saying Britain would not be deterred by the threats.
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Britain → hit → threats
It comes after the prime minister visited Kyiv this week in his first trip abroad since entering Downing Street.
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minister → come → Street
While in the capital, the UK reaffirmed its "unwavering" commitment to Ukraine, which in turn provided what officials described as a "goldmine" of combat data to enhance British security.
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officials → reaffirm → security
During his visit, the prime minister urged Ukraine’s allies to send more interceptor missiles to Kyiv as Ukraine struggles under continued Russian bombardment.
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Ukraine → urge → bombardment
He co-chaired his first coalition of the willing meeting, where he said the group was doing “everything we can” to “dig into our own stocks and help others dig into their stocks”.
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others → co → stocks
Whilst he was visiting the country, Kremlin adviser Andrei Fedorov warned British factories manufacturing drones for Ukraine could face targeting by "unknown sources".
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factories → visit → sources
The former deputy foreign minister for Russia, stated he could not "100% exclude" the possibility of "semi-military" operations directed at Britain.
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he → state → Britain
Mr Fedorov told BBC Newsnight that “sooner or later, there might be not only verbal, but maybe some visible reaction from Russia towards the UK”.
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Fedorov → tell → UK
Asked to elaborate, he said: “There are different discussions how it should look like – it might be so-called technical reaction, maybe some hackers attack from unknown source, not from official level of course.
uncertain
hackers → ask → course
“There might be different political steps and I cannot exclude 100 per cent that there might be some semi-military, for example.”
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I → exclude → example
Pressed to define “semi-military” he said: “For example, something might happen with enterprises, with the factories which are producing drones for Ukraine, etc etc.”
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which → press → Ukraine
Asked whether this meant British factories in Britain being attacked militarily by Russia, the adviser said: “They could be attacked, not by Russia, but by… from unknown sources.”
uncertain
They → ask → sources
