You will pay the price : Ukrainian drones fuel a confrontation between Russia and Britain
Russia warned Britain on Tuesday of “inevitable consequences” if it continued supplying Ukraine with drones used to carry out long-range strikes against targets inside Russian territory.
The warning came as Moscow announced that the capital had been targeted in a large-scale Ukrainian attack involving hundreds of drones.
The Russian warning was issued by Moscow’s embassy in London in response to a report published by The Times on Saturday, which said that British-made drones had been used for the first time in long-range attacks against Russia.
In a statement published on Telegram, the Russian embassy said that “London’s actions” would result in “inevitable consequences,” adding that Britain “would have to bear responsibility for them.”
The embassy added: “The deeper its involvement in the conflict and the greater its support for Kyiv’s terrorist machine, the higher the price it will have to pay.”
Ukraine uses long-range drones to target facilities inside Russia, including oil refineries and logistical infrastructure.
The British Ministry of Defence did not confirm whether British-made drones had been used in the attacks.
In June, Britain announced that it would send Ukraine 150,000 drones by the end of 2026 as part of a £752 million funding package, equivalent to approximately $996 million.
Britain’s response
Responding to the Russian warning, a spokesperson for the British Ministry of Defence said that Britain “stands shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine” and remains committed to providing it with the equipment it needs “to defend itself against Putin’s illegal invasion.”
Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, Moscow has repeatedly warned Britain and other Western allies that their support for Kyiv and their supply of military equipment could trigger retaliatory measures and increase the risk of the conflict spreading.
Major attack on Moscow
The Russian warning coincided with an announcement by Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin that Ukraine had launched 620 drones toward the capital and its surrounding areas during the early hours of Tuesday, in what was one of the largest Ukrainian aerial attacks against Moscow.
Sobyanin said Russian forces had shot down 180 drones over the Moscow region, while emergency response teams were working at locations where debris had fallen.
The mayor did not provide details about the extent of the damage or the number of casualties in Moscow.
Meanwhile, Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyov said that drones had struck a warehouse belonging to Russian e-commerce company Wildberries, as well as other facilities near the capital, injuring at least three people, including a 10-year-old girl.
The company said the warehouse sustained only minor damage after drone debris struck one of its walls.
Attacks and power outages in Crimea
Other Russian-controlled areas, including the Crimean Peninsula, also reported intense Ukrainian drone attacks.
Krymenergo, Crimea’s largest electricity provider, said that residential areas in the south of the peninsula had come under attack overnight.
It added that the attacks had caused power outages in several residential areas, noting that the energy supply situation remained difficult in northwestern, eastern and southern Crimea.
These developments come amid a growing use of drones in reciprocal attacks between Russia and Ukraine, as strikes targeting facilities inside the territories of both sides continue to expand in scope.
