Russia on Monday threatened to strike British military facilities and said it would hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons amid sharply rising tensions over comments by senior Western officials about possibly deeper involvement in the war in Ukraine.

After summoning the British ambassador to the Foreign Ministry, Moscow warned that Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory with U.K.-supplied weapons could bring retaliatory strikes against British military facilities and equipment on Ukrainian soil or elsewhere.

The remarks came on the eve of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inauguration to a fifth term in office and in a week when Moscow on Thursday will celebrate Victory Day, its most important secular holiday, marking its defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.

  • @UnderpantsWeevil
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    026 days ago

    Edit: and given russias use of China and Iran weaponry

    The US and Russia have historically been the world’s two largest arms dealers. You can begrudge China and Iran for getting a slice of the action, but I have to imagine pulling them directly into the conflict would not improve matters for any Ukrainian.

    • @NotMyOldRedditName
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      526 days ago

      It wouldn’t, but Russia is basically saying that’s a perfectly valid reason to do it.

      • @UnderpantsWeevil
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        526 days ago

        There’s one big difference.

        China’s doing the proper capitalist thing and selling weapons onto the market.

        The UK is doing the unforgivable socialist thing and just giving them away.

        • @NotMyOldRedditName
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          226 days ago

          Ah gotcha. Definitely times to pull out the nukes for that unforgivable act then.

          • @UnderpantsWeevil
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            026 days ago

            Or just bust up the payroll system for UK ground troops, as happened a few days ago