Russia warns Britain: UK defense firms are Potential Legal Targets Former Kremlin official warns of possible hybrid attacks as Moscow brands Britain ‘evil number one’Russia is turning up the heat on Britain, with a former senior Kremlin official warning that Moscow is considering attacks on British interests while Russian commentators openly identify defence companies and military sites as potential targets. Andrei Fedorov, a former Russian deputy foreign minister and adviser to Vladimir Putin, told the Mail on Sunday that the Kremlin was unlikely to launch an outright military strike against Britain because doing so could trigger a NATO response. But he warned that a “hybrid attack” — including sabotage or arson — was a much more realistic possibility. And his language about Britain was extraordinary. “The UK is evil number one,” Fedorov said, claiming anger inside Russia had intensified over British-made weapons being used by Ukraine against Russian targets. British defence firms in the crosshairsAmong the companies being discussed is Ukrspecsystems, a British-Ukrainian drone manufacturer whose premises are located close to RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk. Another potential target is MBDA, the British-based missile manufacturer responsible for producing Storm Shadow missiles. Fedorov said Russian experts were openly describing MBDA as a “legal target” because of its involvement in supplying weapons used by Ukraine. The warnings come as Britain continues to provide military support to Kyiv and Prime Minister Andy Burnham has met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv. Moscow has reacted angrily to Britain's increasingly direct support for Ukraine. Moscow prefers the grey zoneThe more worrying threat may not be Russian missiles flying towards Britain. Western officials have warned that Moscow is increasingly relying on the murky world of sabotage, arson, cyberattacks and covert operations precisely because such attacks can cause damage without automatically triggering a conventional military response. Elisabeth Braw of the Atlantic Council described this as the “defender's dilemma” — how does a country respond militarily to an attack designed to remain below the threshold of open warfare? That is precisely where Moscow could attempt to operate. Britain has already experienced incidents attributed to Russian-linked operatives, including the burning of a warehouse storing aid for Ukraine and a series of arson attacks. NATO remains the big red lineFedorov acknowledged that a direct Russian attack on Britain would be an entirely different proposition because Britain is a NATO member. A direct military strike could trigger the alliance's collective defence mechanisms and potentially turn a confrontation between Moscow and London into a much wider war. That is why hybrid warfare is so attractive to the Kremlin. The message from Moscow appears to be: we want to hurt Britain, but without giving NATO an obvious reason to go to war. CIA chief's quiet Moscow visitThe threats are particularly interesting because they came shortly after an extraordinary and largely unannounced visit to Moscow by CIA Director John Ratcliffe. According to the report, Ratcliffe warned Russian officials against attacking a NATO country. That suggests Washington is taking the possibility of escalation seriously — even while diplomatic and intelligence channels remain open. Britain's ambassador in Moscow has also warned officials against publicly confirming whether British-supplied weapons are being used inside Russia, saying such statements could unnecessarily increase the risks to UK national security. Britain refuses to be bulliedDefence Secretary Wes Streeting rejected the Russian threats, accusing Moscow of intimidation and insisting Britain would continue supporting Ukraine. Former security minister Tom Tugendhat was equally blunt, describing the threats as the words of a regime losing the war it started. But the rhetoric coming from Moscow is becoming harder to dismiss as simple bluster. A Russian military-linked channel has reportedly even called for an attack on the NATO base at Tapa in Estonia, where around 900 British troops are stationed. That puts the issue beyond another round of angry Kremlin rhetoric. Britain is already part of the Ukraine war's wider military support network — and Moscow is making increasingly clear that it regards parts of that network as legitimate targets. The frightening question is not whether Russia can attack Britain. It is how far Moscow is prepared to go without crossing the line that brings NATO into the fight. SOURCE
