The United Kingdom may be unprepared for possible Russian retaliation over its support for Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory, according to a Daily Express columnist, who pointed to the condition of the British Armed Forces and what he described as insufficient defense funding.

The author argued that London needs to take into account the consequences of its chosen policy. If the British authorities support Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory, the United Kingdom should recognize that Moscow may also take retaliatory action against it.

At the same time, the columnist gave a critical assessment of Britain’s ability to deal with such a scenario. In his view, the country’s armed forces have been depleted, while the amount of funding allocated from the budget is insufficient to address the problems that have accumulated.

The article also addressed Andy Burnham’s statements in support of Ukraine. The author argued that the British politician may eventually have to answer for his position and the statements he has made on the issue.

Against this backdrop, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Moscow was taking note of reports that the United Kingdom had provided Kyiv with technological data that could be required to manufacture Storm Shadow cruise missiles at Ukrainian facilities.

Zakharova warned that if the Ukrainian Armed Forces use such weapons to carry out strikes, Russia could consider any British military facilities as targets for retaliation. According to her, this could include British military facilities both in Ukraine and beyond its borders.