Russia warns UK of ‘dangerous brinkmanship’ as CIA chief cautions Kremlin against NATO strike
<p class="dcr-1s160rg">Russia warned it might strike military targets inside and outside Ukraine in response to the UK’s support for Kyiv, as media reports indicate the CIA director cautioned the Kremlin against any NATO attack during a recent secretive visit.</p>
<p class="dcr-1s160rg">British Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced on Monday that the UK will provide Kyiv with classified technology enabling it to manufacture Storm Shadow long‑range cruise missiles, a capability also pledged by France. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova accused Britain and France on Thursday of “playing with fire.”</p>
<p class="dcr-1s160rg">In response to the latest Russian threats, a Ministry of Defence spokesperson reaffirmed the United Kingdom’s commitment to supporting Ukraine.</p>
<p class="dcr-1s160rg">“The United Kingdom stands shoulder‑to‑shoulder with Ukraine and is dedicated to supplying the equipment needed for Ukraine to defend itself against Putin’s illegal invasion. Russia must be under no illusion about the resolve of this government to resist Russian aggression, both in Ukraine and against the UK and its allies,” the official said.</p>
<p class="dcr-1s160rg">The Wall Street Journal reported that CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s Tuesday visit to Moscow followed a U.S. intelligence assessment suggesting Russia may be preparing a limited NATO test—potentially a cyber operation or a small incursion, likely in a Baltic state.</p>
<p class="dcr-1s160rg">Throughout the war, Russia has repeatedly issued thinly veiled nuclear threats and other warnings directed at Ukraine’s western allies, including diplomatic missions in Kyiv.</p>
<p class="dcr-1s160rg">When asked to comment on the reports of Ratcliffe’s visit—and despite a Thursday morning threat against UK targets—Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, “Much of this scare‑story material is being published now. It has no basis in reality and does not reflect the intentions of the Russian Federation.”</p>
<p class="dcr-1s160rg">Russia is thought to be considering a further escalation of its war with Ukraine after months of intensified Ukrainian strikes on Russia’s oil‑refining facilities and other sites, which are increasingly exacting an economic toll.</p>
<p class="dcr-1s160rg">The Kremlin has adopted increasingly bellicose rhetoric, much of it directed at a domestic audience, as the war in Ukraine has reached its doorstep.</p>
<p class="dcr-1s160rg">In just a few days, Russia has invoked the threat of its nuclear arsenal against Japan over the disputed Kuril Islands and described its relations with the United States as a “crisis” at a historic low.</p>
<p class="dcr-1s160rg">Ratcliffe’s reported warning echoed a similar caution issued by his predecessor, William Burns, in 2021 before Russia’s full‑scale invasion of Ukraine—a claim Moscow also denied.</p>
<p class="dcr-1s160rg">Concerns about Moscow’s intentions have grown amid a rise in Russian hybrid warfare across Europe, including cyber‑attacks, drone strikes, and arson targeting facilities that support Ukraine’s war effort.</p>
<p class="dcr-1s160rg">Both Russia and the United States have sought to downplay Ratcliffe’s meeting with his Russian counterparts; Donald Trump described the visit on Wednesday as “semi‑routine.” Nonetheless, the unusual nature of the encounter has sparked intense speculation in the West and in Russia.</p>
<p class="dcr-1s160rg">NATO countries bordering Russia have moved swiftly to boost their military readiness; Poland this week announced receipt of its first shipment of South Korean Black Panther main battle tanks, slated for deployment near the Russian Kaliningrad border.</p>
<p class="dcr-1s160rg">Poland’s deputy defence minister, Cezary Tomczyk, said this month that Warsaw is preparing for the possibility of a full‑scale conflict.</p>
<p class="dcr-1s160rg">Tomczyk told Super Express media, “We are preparing for war, hoping it never happens.”</p>
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<p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/27/britain-ukraine-war-russia">Source link </a></p>
