Putin Warns UK Over Ukraine Support but Lacks Direct Attack Capability
· World · The Independent, BBC News, Bloomberg
Putin has repeatedly warned Britain that it will pay a higher price for supplying drones to Ukraine, but experts say Moscow lacks the capability to launch a full‑scale kinetic attack on the UK. Katia Glod, deputy head of foreign policy at the New Eurasia Strategies Centre, said a direct strike would trigger NATO’s mutual‑defence clause, which Russia cannot counter. Past Kremlin‑linked actions such as the 2006 Litvinenko poisoning, the 2018 Skripal Novichok attack, the March 2024 Leyton warehouse arson, and the 2024‑25 reconnaissance by the vessel Yantar near British underwater infrastructure show a pattern of hybrid aggression. Moscow is expected to continue using cyber‑crime, diplomatic harassment, recruitment of criminals and incursions into UK airspace and waters rather than conventional military strikes. Glod noted it is unclear whether increased UK drone deliveries are driving the escalations, but the hybrid tactics are likely to persist.
Why it matters
The threat challenges UK security and tests NATO’s collective defence, while persistent hybrid attacks could destabilise the broader European security environment that India monitors for geopolitical and energy considerations.
Read the original report — The Independent
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