"If they respond, there will be a third world war": Senior Russian official threatens to attack Britain

Andrey Fedorov, an advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin, issued another threat against Britain, claiming that Russia is prepared to attack the kingdom. He told the "Daily Mail" that Moscow has marked as "legitimate targets" a missile company and a factory of the drone company Ukrspecsystems. The factory is located near the Royal Air Force base Mildenhall and is British-Ukrainian owned.

The senior advisor, who was also Moscow's Deputy Foreign Minister, warned that "the highest levels of the Russian government are considering a combined attack such as sabotage or arson," rather than a direct military attack. This is because Britain is a member of NATO, and a military attack on its territory could lead to the Western alliance attacking Russia militarily in a comprehensive manner.

"Britain is evil number one after the information that British-made drones were used against oil refineries in Russia," he added. According to him, this has become a focus of great anger in Russia, and various experts are calling to punish Britain through an attack, which would receive the support of most Russian citizens.

British Ambassador to Russia Nigel Casey ordered officials not to confirm whether British weapons are being transferred to Ukraine, in order to prevent escalation by Vladimir Putin. It is reported that Vladimir Putin and his associates are furious that Andy Burnham provided Ukraine with plans for the production of long-range missiles, which were used in the past for attacks inside Russian territory.

The "Daily Mail" quoted Elisabeth Braw, an expert at the American research institute "Atlantic Council," who explained the significance of the combined attacks: "They put a country like Britain in a dilemma regarding how to respond. I call such threats 'the shield dilemma.' How exactly is the country supposed to strike back? Since if it uses military means, it will truly lead to the third world war."

On Saturday night, British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting said: "The reckless rhetoric and attempts to exert intimidation that we have seen from the Kremlin in recent weeks reflect the weakness of Vladimir Putin's position, and we will not be deterred."

Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, Russia has launched several combined attacks against Britain. In March 2024, a building that stored aid equipment for Ukraine was attacked in East London; the perpetrators were hired by the Russian mercenary group Wagner. Last June, two men were sentenced to prison for several arson attacks on homes and vehicles linked to former Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Finland does not seem deterred by Russia's provocation. Finnish President Alexander Stubb told the German newspaper "Bild" that he believes "Russia will not risk attacking NATO countries." He added: "If someone has a crystal ball - great, but I don't see evidence or facts that support this. It is not logical that any power would want to test the most powerful military alliance in the world." Stubb noted: "We must understand that Ukraine is the best security guarantee we have against Russia. If Ukraine loses, we lose."

Western officials have warned of an increasing risk of combined attacks by Russia against European countries, including cyberattacks. At the same time, officials in Germany estimate that by 2029, Russia will be in a position that will allow it to attack a NATO country.

The words of the senior official in the Kremlin join a series of threats by Moscow against London. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned that Moscow could attack British military targets in response to Ukraine using British-made missiles, stating that "Britain and France are playing with fire." Her words came despite the visit of CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who reportedly warned Russia against attacking a NATO member amid intelligence indicating that the Kremlin sees Washington as weakened due to the war with Iran.