# Russia threatens to attack British factories in ‘semi-military’ response to UK support for Ukraine – as Putin warns ‘Pandora’s box has been opened’

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/russia-threatens-to-attack-british-factories-in-semi-military-response-to-uk-support-for-ukraine-as-putin-warns-pandoras-box-has-been-opened/
- Published: 2026-08-25T07:10:13+00:00
- Updated: 2026-08-25T07:15:44+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16077693/Russia-threatens-attack-British-factories-semi-military-response-UK-support-Ukraine-Putin-warns-Pandoras-box-opened.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: Celebrity, Entertainment, Europe, UK, World

## Key points

- Russia threatens "semi-military" action against UK factories over Ukraine support
- PM Burnham allowed sharing of SCALP missile component tech with Ukraine
- Putin warns "Pandora's box" opened; Russian ambassador withdrawn from London

## Summary

Russia has threatened to strike British factories and other targets in a "semi-military" response to the UK's growing support for Ukraine, with the Kremlin accusing Britain of directly participating in the war. The threats followed new Prime Minister Andy Burnham's first foreign visit to Kyiv, where he announced that defence firm MBDA had been cleared to share UK components technology for the long-range SCALP missile, allowing local production in Ukraine. Vladimir Putin reportedly warned that a "Pandora's box" had been opened, and Britain now faces the prospect of becoming a more direct target in the conflict.

Former Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Fedorov told BBC Newsnight that Moscow's reaction to Burnham's announcement was "very negative", and that possible responses could range from hacking attacks by "unknown sources" to unspecified "semi-military" action targeting British factories producing drones or components linked to Storm Shadow missiles. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov separately accused Britain of "pouring fuel on the fire" and said Russian forces intended to identify and destroy missile and equipment production sites. The Russian ambassador has reportedly been withdrawn from London amid worsening relations, but Burnham, speaking in Kyiv to mark Ukraine's 35th independence anniversary, called the threats "outrageous" and pledged continued UK support.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.