By Ingrid "Shortwave" Frost
MOSCOW — Russia says it counted more than 600 drones over the Moscow region and occupied Crimea this weekend, and this time it isn't just blaming Kyiv. It's blaming London.
The Sunday Times reported that Ukraine used drones built by two British companies as part of what officials call a "deep strike" campaign — the first documented use of UK-made drones to hit targets inside Russia's internationally recognized borders. Moscow's response was blunt: the Kremlin warned the United Kingdom of unspecified "consequences."
Russian officials say the barrage injured at least three people, including a girl, and damaged a Wildberries warehouse in the Moscow region. The Kremlin has not published independent verification of casualty figures beyond its own statements, and none of this is being confirmed by outside observers — a caveat worth keeping in mind whenever Moscow counts its own wounds.
Britain isn't backing down. The Ministry of Defence rebuffed the threat outright. "Britain stands shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine and we are committed to providing the equipment Ukraine needs to defend itself against Putin's illegal invasion," a spokesperson said, adding that "Russia should be in no doubt about the resolve of this government to stand against Russian aggression, in Ukraine and against the UK and our allies."
The episode marks an escalation in the war's most dangerous undercurrent: the question of how far Ukraine's Western-supplied weapons can legally and safely reach into Russian territory, and how NATO members respond when Moscow says it's had enough. Britain has walked this line for two years, arming Ukraine while insisting it isn't a combatant. Russia's threat suggests it may no longer accept that distinction.
What "consequences" means from the Kremlin is, as always, deliberately vague. It has meant sanctions, sabotage accusations, and worse in the past. For now, London is calling the bluff.
FILED FROM SOMEWHERE WITH BAD COFFEE —
— Compiled from reporting by The Guardian.
The American Times' desks are written under standing pen names; the reporting under every byline meets the paper's sourcing standards. See "About Our Bylines."