Russia warns it could target UK in response to Kyiv firing British missiles

Moscow has cautioned that it could strike British military targets inside and outside Ukraine if Kyiv continues to fire long-range UK-made cruise missiles into Russia.

Key points

• Russia's Defence Ministry confirmed it targeted steelworks in Kryvyi Rih and Zaporizhzhia, an oil refinery in Poltava, logistics hubs near Kyiv and three ports in Odesa.
• Steelworks and industrial facilities were struck in Kryvyi Rih and Zaporizhzhia, injuring six individuals in both cities.
• The Ukrainian air force remarked air defences downed seven ballistic missiles, one anti-ship cruise missile and almost 90 percent of the incoming drones.
• In Kharkiv, one person was killed and two were injured in a lunchtime attack on a shopping centre, according to regional governor Oleh Syniehubov.
• Zakharova remarked London was "one step away" from becoming legally complicit in what she described as "terrorism" against Russian civilians, warning of "catastrophic consequences" unless Britain changed course.

For context, the warning, delivered by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova at a news briefing in Moscow on Thursday, is the strongest direct threat yet to Britain, a key NATO member and ally of Ukraine.

"We have repeatedly warned that any British military installations and equipment in Ukraine and beyond its borders could be targeted in response to Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory carried out using British weapons, " she remarked.

"We propose that the British leadership once again carefully analyse the situation and immediately, in the most resolute and unequivocal manner, abandon the hostile, aggressive line, " she continued.

For context, the warning came a day after Moscow accused Ukraine of firing British Storm Shadow missiles to attack a shopping centre in the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk, an attack Russian authorities stated wounded civilians, including children.

For context, the Kremlin previously accused Britain of adding "fuel to the fire" after London confirmed it would allow Kyiv access to technology to build Storm Shadow cruise missiles locally. France has already agreed to license the technology for the European missile. Strikes target Ukrainian infrastructure.

Notably, the diplomatic warning coincides with a new wave of Russian missile and drone attacks throughout Ukraine, targeting key infrastructure and leaving at least one person dead and a number of injured.

"Overnight, Russia carried out a massive strike against Ukraine, targeting ports, grain storage, energy, industry and other infrastructure with ballistic and hypersonic missiles and combat drones, " Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha remarked on X.

In practice, the Ukrainian air force remarked air defences downed seven ballistic missiles, one anti-ship cruise missile and almost 90 percent of the incoming drones.

Falling debris in Kyiv damaged a school, shattered windows at a healthcare facility and wounded two individuals outside the capital. Attacks on industrial and energy sites in the Poltava region cut power to seven settlements.

Steelworks and industrial facilities were struck in Kryvyi Rih and Zaporizhzhia, injuring six individuals in both cities. In Odesa, three individuals were injured in an hours-long attack which damaged port infrastructure, an educational facility and a multi-storey building.

In central Russia, the online retailer Ozon remarked a drone attack damaged a logistics complex in the latest in a series of strikes on its facilities.

For now, russia warns it could target UK in response to Kyiv firing British remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.