RUSSIA has ramped up its thinly veiled threats towards Britain sparking fears Vladimir Putin could send the two nations spiralling towards a terrifying conflict.
The Kremlin’s volatile war of words has drastically escalated this week as Russia said the UK faces “consequences” for supplying drones used by Ukraine for devastating attacks.
Putin’s Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, lashed out at Andy Burnham after the PM made it clear the UK is 100 per cent behind Ukraine against Putin’s “illegal war”.
Lavrov later warned that UK interests “in any part of the oceans” would now be seen as under threat due to the UK’s supporting Kyiv.
He said in a chilling threat on Russian TV: “I feel sorry for Britain if it stays with Ukraine to the bitter end… this only means one thing.”
It came just a day after Russia’s embassy in London warned the UK would face “consequences” for sending their allies long- range Nyan jet drones.
Analysts believe the latest threat points toward potential strikes on British shipping to avenge June’s seizure of the sanctioned Russian “shadow fleet tanker” Smyrtos in Dorset.
The Kremlin has already accused Britain of “acting as an accomplice and co-perpetrator” of “bloody crimes committed by Ukrainian neo-Nazis”.
Simon Diggins, a retired colonel in the British Army turned security, defence and military analyst, says the Kremlin’s colourful language is cause for concern.
He told The Sun: “Britain tends to get this kind of really hyperbolic, aggressive and violent language threatening consequences.
“At every stage when we provided the Ukrainians with major weapon systems, they’ve threatened dire consequences.
“In the past they’ve talked about firing a missile which they call Satan, to drop nuclear weapons into the into the Irish Sea, creating tidal waves that would sweep across across Britain.
“This is normal from them and I don’t think that’s necessarily to be taken seriously directly, however, I think it does indicate how angry they are.”
Simon believes there is a real chance Russia will begin to ramp up aggressive tactics against the UK in the coming months.
Earlier this week, Russia was revealed to have deployed a warship armed with cruise and hypersonic missiles in the Baltic Sea.
The vessel is sat within striking distance of both the UK and its Nato allies.
The Admiral Kasatonov, a frigate with nuclear-capable Zircon hypersonic missiles, was seen last week off the coast of Fehmarn following Kremlin threats to attack British and EU vessels.
Robert Tollast, an expert on land warfare from RUSI, warned Russia could attack the UK by launching drone swarms from ghost ships off Britain’s coast.
He explained: “A lot of large energy and industrial infrastructure is located by the sea.
“So it’s not out of this world to imagine drones being launched by ship at these targets, perhaps hidden in shipping containers.”
Undersea cables providing vital communication links to the UK could also be at risk of Russian attack.
Simon continued: “We could expect a direct reaction, for example, an uptick in the use of their spy trawlers over our submarine cables
“Aggressive cyber operations being employed against us, information operations, subversion, and anything up to sabotage.
“We’ve also had assassinations on our soil and that is to be expected when you’re dealing with Russia because that’s part of their language, how they operate.”
Political analyst Vlad Vexler told The Sun: “Putin thinks of his war with Ukraine as a proxy war in which he’s essentially facing all of the West.
“And the UK is a bee in the bonnet for the regime.
“What they think is wrong with the West is maximally exemplified by the UK in the view of the Kremlin regime.”
Western governments have reportedly pledged over £280billion in military, financial, and humanitarian aid to Ukraine since Russia‘s invasion in 2022.
The US remains Kyiv’s most crucial ally but European nations such as Germany, France and Poland have also played a major role.
Britain prides itself as one of the leading donors to Ukraine as well – much to the Kremlin’s fury.
Just last month, Burnham announced a new £3billion military package to Kyiv which comes alongside dozens of new lethal and non-lethal weaponry and equipment.
Tanks, air defence systems, artillery, and long-range precision strike missiles are all allowed to be used by Ukraine in their fight against Russia.
The UK has also committed to training up Ukrainian fast jet pilots “for as long as it takes”, Burnham pledged.
This sustained support has only dragged Russian-UK relations lower and lower as they war continues to rage on with daily bombardments.
Vexler said this has created a “mythical ideological picture” about the evil West which has been exemplified by the UK due to its involvement.
Vexler, who was born in the Soviet Union before moving to the UK, was quick to add that the threats of a genuine major attack on the UK are “extraordinarily low probability events”.
Simon has also warned that Putin may not even be the biggest worry for the UK within the Kremlin.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/16863009/russia-putin-drone-threats-uk/