LONDON/KYIV — Russia has warned that British factories producing drones and missile-related components for Ukraine could face attacks from “unknown sources” after the UK agreed to share classified blueprints for British-made components of the Storm Shadow cruise missile with Kyiv.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced the decision during his first official international trip as prime minister. He visited Kyiv on August 24 to mark Ukraine’s 35th Independence Day, met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and chaired a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
The UK has agreed to provide technical information on British-made components of the SCALP missile, the French version of Storm Shadow. The transfer removes a remaining restriction on UK components made by MBDA and is intended to support Ukraine’s plans to establish domestic production of the long-range missile with France.
The Storm Shadow/SCALP family has a range of about 250–560 km depending on the variant and has been used by Ukraine against targets in occupied territories and inside Russia.
Russia Issues Warning
Andrei Fedorov, a former Russian deputy foreign minister and current Kremlin adviser, told BBC Newsnight that Moscow could not completely rule out a “semi-military” response against Britain.
Asked what this could involve, Fedorov said British enterprises and factories producing drones or other components for Ukraine could be attacked. He said such action could come from “unknown sources” rather than directly from Russia and also referred to possible cyberattacks.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov separately criticised the British decision, accusing London of adding “fuel to the fire.” He said Russia was gathering information on missile production facilities so they could be targeted.
Burnham rejected the criticism, responding to Peskov by asking: “Who started the fire?”
Ukraine Seeks More Air Defence
The dispute comes as Ukraine faces continuing pressure on its air-defence capabilities ahead of winter. Zelenskyy has said Kyiv wants to secure around 300 US-made Patriot interceptor missiles to protect critical infrastructure and the energy system.
Ukraine has also sought the ability to manufacture Patriot interceptors domestically. US President Donald Trump previously discussed the possibility but later said no agreement had been reached, stressing that the technology required careful consideration.
At the Kyiv meeting, Burnham, Macron and Merz said strengthening Ukraine’s air defences was an urgent priority. They also pledged continued support for Ukraine, further sanctions against Russia and measures targeting Russia’s shadow fleet.
Burnham said he would travel to the United States next month with European leaders to discuss Ukraine’s defence requirements with Trump.
Wider UK-Ukraine Defence Cooperation
The UK and Ukraine are also expanding cooperation in defence technology. During the visit, Britain secured access for its researchers to Ukraine’s Avengers AI Labs, which uses battlefield data from cameras and sensors to develop artificial-intelligence systems.
The UK and France hope to establish production lines for the SCALP/Storm Shadow family in Ukraine by the end of the year, although the exact timeline for full domestic production remains unclear.
The latest agreement moves Britain beyond supplying finished weapons by helping Ukraine develop its own long-range missile production capability, while the Russian warnings have raised concerns over possible attacks or other forms of disruption involving British defence facilities.
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