The Russian Foreign Ministry called the move an "unfriendly act" from the UK, which demonstrated London's "unprecedented level of involvement" in the conflict.
According to RT, the Russian Foreign Ministry stressed that Russia reserves the right to take any necessary measures to neutralize the threat that may arise from Ukraine's use of British cruise missiles, and that those behind this reckless step and London's sabotage activities in general will be held responsible for the consequences.
Britain supplies Ukraine with Storm Shadow long-range cruise missiles. Photo: Shutterstock
On May 11, the UK confirmed that it was delivering a number of Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine. British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said that this was a "measured and appropriate response" by London to the situation in Ukraine.
In a statement on May 12, Mr. Mikhail Sheremet, a member of the State Duma (lower house) of Russia, warned that Moscow would take strong countermeasures if Ukraine used Storm Shadow cruise missiles to attack Russian territory.
If Ukraine introduced the “game-changing” Storm Shadow weapon into the war, it would trigger a Russian missile response, including tactical ballistic missiles, against Ukraine’s western border, Sheremet told RIA Novosti. Such strikes would halt the flow of Western weapons to Kiev.
Moscow has repeatedly warned Western countries that continuing to supply weapons to Ukraine would make them de facto parties to the conflict. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the UK’s provision of Storm Shadow missiles would force Moscow to respond militarily.
The US on May 12 showed that it would not “follow in London’s footsteps”. The US has long refused to provide Kiev with long-range weapons such as ATACMS missiles.
In a related development, Moscow admitted that its forces had fallen north of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut in a new offensive. According to Reuters, the Russian Defense Ministry said its forces had repelled a series of Ukrainian attacks on its positions in eastern Ukraine but admitted that Russian troops had withdrawn to a regrouping area for tactical reasons.
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