(Bloomberg) -- Russia’s ambassador to the UK warned of an escalation to the war in Ukraine as Britain and other Western allies commit increasingly advanced weapons to aid Kyiv. Speaking on the BBC, Andrei Kelin said the actions of NATO countries, and “especially” the UK, risk lengthening and triggering a “new dimension” to the war. Moscow hasn’t yet started to “act very seriously,” the diplomat said.
Ukraine said it shot down dozens of drones fired overnight in one of the biggest attacks on the capital Kyiv since the war started. It was the 14th such assault in May alone, and came as the city celebrated a holiday that marks its founding more than 1,500 years ago. It’s “probable” that Russia’s ability to lob so many drones at once means Moscow has received a new shipment from Iran, Ukrainian military spokeswoman Nataliya Humenyuk said on national television. Russia may be using the Shahed drones in order to map Ukraine’s air defenses and define routes for future missile attacks, she said.
With attention focused on Ukraine’s potential counteroffensive, army commander Valeriy Zaluzhnyi on Saturday posted a video on social media proclaiming that “the time has come to reclaim what is ours.” The bid to retake occupied territory is “ready to begin” and could start “tomorrow, the day after tomorrow or in a week,” said Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, told the BBC.
Latest Coverage
- Pilots Say F-16s Can Help Ukraine But Missiles Could Down Them
- Russia Warns of Escalation If UK, NATO Keeps Supplying Weapons
- South Africa Report Into Alleged Russian Arms Deal Due in 8 Weeks
- Gas Price Plunge Brings Relief to Europe After Energy Panic
Coming Up
- NATO foreign ministers meet in Oslo from Wednesday
- UN nuclear watchdog expected to brief Security Council on the Zaporizhzhia atomic plant on Tuesday
©2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Advertisement