Putin's high-risk threats to the UK leave him exposed

Russia is stepping up threats to UK factories and infrastructure to try and undermine British support to Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin’s regime has launched a media offensive warning that there could be a “semi-military” response against British factories that build drones used by Ukraine to hit Russian targets.

Andrei Fedorov, a former deputy foreign minister in Putin’s government, has called Britain “evil number one” and repeatedly threatened sites that Russia claims are legitimate targets including drone and missile factories in the UK.

The latest Kremlin threats come days after Prime Minister Andy Burnham boosted British support for Ukraine with a visit to Kyiv and a commitment to provide Ukraine with the blueprints for British Storm Shadow missiles that could be used to strike deep into Russian territory.

Britain’s staunch political and military support for Ukraine is increasingly angering the Putin regime, who are looking for a way to hit back. As diplomatic relations between Russia and Britain sink to an all-time low, Putin may back himself into a corner where he has no choice but to follow through with his threats.