Russia Threatens UK With ‘Consequences’ for Supplying Drones to Ukraine

Russia warned the UK on Aug. 18 that it would face consequences for arming Ukraine with drones ​used to launch attacks on Russian territory.

The Russian Embassy ‌in London issued the warning in response to an Aug. 15 report in The Times newspaper, which said British-made drones had been used ​for long-range strikes against Russia for the first ​time.

The embassy said in a post on Telegram that the reports “confirm that London is deliberately opting for an escalation of the Ukraine crisis, while hypocritically professing a desire for peace.”

It said the UK was “acting as an accomplice and co-perpetrator of the bloody crimes and terrorist attacks,” which the embassy said were committed by “Ukrainian neo-Nazis, seeking to contain Russia and inflict maximum damage on it by proxy.”

The embassy said that “London’s actions will inevitably carry consequences for which it will have to answer,” adding that the “deeper its involvement in the conflict and the greater its support for Kiev’s terrorist machinery, the higher the price it will pay.”

Ukrainian forces launched one of their biggest drone attacks on Russia since Moscow’s invasion over four years ago, firing almost 800 drones only two days after a similar salvo, officials said Tuesday.

Russian air defenses overnight intercepted 791 Ukrainian drones over a number of regions, as well as annexed Crimea and the Black and the Azov seas, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said, in what was the second-largest drone attack since January 2025, according to an Associated Press tally.

In the region that surrounds the capital, three people were wounded, Gov. Andrei Vorobyov said.

Three people were also injured in the adjacent Ryazan region where three private houses were damaged, Gov. Pavel Malkov said.

The overnight attack started a fire at a warehouse of Wildberries, Russia’s biggest online retailer, in an industrial zone. Ukraine has repeatedly targeted the company, which it says helps supply the Russian military, an allegation Moscow denies.

Moscow has threatened the UK previously over its role in providing Ukraine with drone technology, as well as Storm Shadow missiles, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warning in July 2024 that there would be a response if the UK gave Kyiv permission to make long-range strikes at Russia with British weapons.

Billions in Funding

The UK has been among Ukraine’s most steadfast international supporters since the conflict with Russia, ongoing since 2014, escalated when Moscow launched an invasion in February 2022. Since then, Ukraine has received billions in funding packages from the European Union, the UK, and the United States.

Ukraine increased its attacks on Russia this year, with long-range missiles and swarms of drones frequently targeting military industries and energy facilities. 

The UK’s ​Ministry of Defence has not confirmed whether British drones were ‌used in attacks on Russia. A ministry spokesperson told The Epoch Times in a statement that the UK “⁠stands shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine and we are committed to providing the equipment ​Ukraine needs to defend itself against Putin’s ​illegal invasion.”

‘Not Fair Weather Friends’

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham indicated to reporters on Tuesday that there will be no departure from the unwavering support for Ukraine offered by his predecessor, Keir Starmer.

“This is the UK doing ​what it has long said ​it would do, which is to support Ukraine 100 percent against this illegal ​war led by Vladimir Putin,” ​Burnham said.

“We are providing support so ‌that ⁠Ukraine can defend itself, and that’s been the British position all the way through ​this conflict ​by ⁠previous prime ministers, it remains the case with ​me. We are ​not ⁠fair weather friends. We will be there in Ukraine’s hour ⁠of ​need, and that ​won’t change.”

The UK government announced in June that it would provide 150,000 drones to Ukraine by the end of this year as part of a 752 million-pound ($996 million) funding package.

Moscow has repeatedly warned the UK and other Western allies that ⁠their ​support for Kyiv, including the ​supply of equipment, could provoke retaliatory measures and increase the risk of ​a broader conflict.

Moscow’s ambassador to the UK, Andrey Kelin, told Russian state media TASS on Aug. 17 that the UK had been more deeply involved in the conflict in Ukraine than any other NATO member state, adding that the presence of special forces, instructors, and military specialists involved in the launch of the British missiles in Ukraine was confirmed. He did not elaborate.

Since the war began, Russia has been hit by repeated sanctions from the EU, the United States, and the UK.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.