Russia has threatened to bomb UK military bases in its latest threat over Britain’s support for Ukraine. Britain has been told to back off on its hostile stance towards Ukraine by Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, who said the UK risked taking the conflict to a new level. She told the same Moscow news briefing earlier that Britain and France were "playing with fire" by supplying sensitive missile technology to Ukraine.
It came after Andy Burnham announced earlier this week that the UK government would release the blueprints for British-made components for the Scalp missile, which is the French version of the UK’s Storm Shadow cruise missile, so Ukraine could produce its own version. Tensions between the Kremlin and Downing Street have continued to rise after it was revealed earlier this month that drones made by two British companies were used to attack targets including oil refineries in Volgograd and near Moscow and logistics hubs, according to The Times. Russia accused Britain of “seeking to contain Russia and inflict maximum damage on it by proxy” and warned “London’s actions will inevitably carry consequences for which it will have to answer”.
British military targets both inside and outside Ukraine could be hit by Russia in response to the UK’s support for Kyiv, Ms Zakharova said. There are several British Army bases across Europe that could be at risk. This incudes bases in Estonia, Poland, Romania, Sennelager in Germany, Gibraltar and Cyprus.
In March, a British military base in Cyprus was targeted by an unmanned drone strike from Iran amid the conflict sparked by Donald Trump and Israel’s war with Tehran. There were no casualties in the strike, which hit the airport runway at RAF Akrotiri, but “minor damage” was caused. The strike came just hours after then-prime minister Sir Keir Starmer announced that he had granted permission for US forces to use UK bases.
In the UK there are over 2,000 military bases including reserve bases. Major UK Army hubs include; Aldershot Garrison in Hampshire, Colchester Garrison in Essex, Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire and Beacon Barracks in Staffordshire. There are 34 Royal Air Force bases, including Brize Norton in Oxfordshire and RAF Coningsby in Lincoln.
Plymouth is home to Royal Marines and UK Commando Forces, while Devonport is responsible for the deep maintenance and defuelling of the Royal Navy’s nuclear submarine fleet. Two British companies have been found to supply drones to Ukraine. One drone was developed by BAE Systems subsidiary Callen-Lenz and tested by the Royal Navy.
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