Russia threatens to bomb UK targets over Ukraine weapons sparking new World War III fears
A Russian official has sparked fresh World War III fears by warning the Kremlin will target British targets in Ukraine if its weapons are used by the country as it fights to regain its territory.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned British targets "on Ukraine's territory and beyond its borders" risked being struck. She repeated a warning that Moscow first issued earlier this month after UK Foreign Minister David Cameron said Ukraine had a right to use weapons provided by London to strike targets within Russia's borders.
Retired General Sir Richard Barrons previously said Britain would be powerless to defeat a targeted Russian missile attack because the armed forces don't have the level of air and missile defence that Ukraine has. "We've not needed it", he added.
A photo of Vladimir Putin
The Kremlin reacted with outrage to the remark and claimed it was one of the reasons why it would hold exercises this month to simulate the launch of tactical nuclear missiles. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky also urged NATO members to permit him to strike targets inside Russia.
Ukraine has long pleaded for its Western allies to supply further weapons and air defence systems, so it can fend off Russian air assaults that have bombarded the country throughout the war.
A hypersonic message
Russia has targeted civilian areas and power grids alongside military targets on numerous occasions. Zelensky told The New York Times: "We have our own weapons, our own drones, and we use them, but I would like to note that we do this for defence.
"And what we have always asked for President Biden, and not only President Biden but the leaders of many countries, is that we want to use the weapons for defence. How do we respond when they strike our cities? Their ability to strike from a distance is such because they are stationed in the villages nearest to the border of Ukraine with Russia.
"They strike from there, knowing that we will not return fire, knowing that they are using civilian populations as cover, because their weapons are located among the civilian population of the Russian Federation. But they proceed calmly, understanding that our partners do not give us permission."