British Empire Cues Ukraine To Bomb Russian Territory, Prompting Moscow To Threaten ‘Proportionate’ Response

April 26, 2022 (EIRNS)—United Kingdom Armed Forces Minister James Heappey took to BBC today to offer that London would find it “acceptable” for Ukraine to use British-supplied arms to carry out strikes on Russian territory. “The question is, is this acceptable for our weapons systems to be used against legitimate Russian military targets by the Ukrainians? Firstly, it’s the Ukrainians who take the targeting decision, not people who manufacture or export the kit in the first place. And secondly, it is entirely legitimate to go after military targets in the depth of your opponent to disrupt their logistics and supply lines.”

While Heppeay’s logic would assumedly include Russia’s right to bomb Ukraine’s supply lines in Poland, Moscow did not go that far. Nevertheless, Heappey’s comments were not overlooked. Sputnik International quoted a statement from Russia’s Ministry of Defense: “We would like to emphasize that London’s direct provoking of the Kyiv regime for such actions, in the event that they are implemented, will lead to an immediate and proportional response by Russia. As we have warned, the Russian Armed Forces are on round-the-clock standby to launch long-range precision-guided retaliatory strikes against the relevant decision-making centers in Kyiv.” They are also aware of Western military advisers known to be present in these locations, and their presence “will not necessarily be a problem in Russia’s decision-making on retaliatory actions.”