Russia warns UK military targets could be hit as CIA chief visits Moscow
Russian Foreign Ministry warns British military targets could be hit, while CIA chief visits Moscow and Trump plays down Putin threat.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has warned that British military installations and equipment could be targeted, as tensions rise over UK support for Ukraine. The warning came amid a reported visit by the CIA director to Moscow and mounting pressure on Vladimir Putin at home.
The threat follows a series of escalating exchanges. On Monday, former Russian deputy foreign minister Andrei Fedorov told the BBC that Russia might soon take visible action, including cyber attacks or semi-military responses. That same day, UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham visited Ukraine and agreed to hand over blueprints for missile manufacturing.
The CIA director's visit to Moscow has been interpreted in different ways. Some reports say he was there to remind Russia of NATO's Article 5, while others suggest he was telling the Kremlin that the war is not going well. President Donald Trump described the visit as semi-routine and said he wants to secure a deal.
In London, the government says it is ever vigilant. Former defence minister Al Carnes argued that the threats are more of the same, but should be taken seriously. He said Putin's room for manoeuvre is limited, as Ukraine now strikes infrastructure in Russian cities, and warned of a heightened chance of a geographically constrained conflict in Eastern Europe over the next three to five years.
The warning also comes as Ukraine continues to target Russian oil refineries and logistics, causing long queues at petrol stations and fires at warehouses. The Kremlin's rhetoric has not changed, but the context has, with the Russian elite feeling the pressure of the war.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC Two |
|---|---|
| Donald Trump described the CIA visit as semi-routine and said he wants to get a deal. | |
| Russian Foreign Ministry warned that British military targets could be targeted by Russian forces. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The channel focused on the UK perspective, featuring an interview with former defence minister Al Carnes, and examined whether an under-pressure Putin is more dangerous. It gave airtime to Russian warnings and the CIA visit, but framed the story around British security and preparedness, with a tone of cautious resolve.
- “I'm a firm believer that the Kremlin's threats, they don't scare us in any way, shape or form, they sharpen our resolve to do more in support of Ukraine.”
- “What seems to have changed is long queues at the pump strikes on Wildberries and the second Amazon of Russia, huge blazes in oil refineries, thousands of miles away from our country.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.