British defense chiefs warned of Russian attacks over Ukraine support
Photo: Russian leader Vladimir Putin (Getty Images)
Executives at British defense companies supplying weapons to Ukraine have been warned of a high risk of Russian attacks and espionage, according to the Daily Mail.
According to the publication, the warning was issued in early summer during a roundtable attended by senior government officials and top executives.
Although sources have not disclosed the full list of attendees, insiders say the meeting included executives from companies that manufacture weapons and drones for Ukraine.
Among them were Ukrspecsystems, a drone manufacturer operating near RAF Mildenhall in West Suffolk; Callen-Lenz, a BAE Systems subsidiary whose aircraft were recently used in strikes on oil refineries deep inside Russia; and MBDA, the defense contractor that produces Storm Shadow cruise missiles.
The meeting, organized by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), came amid the disruption of Russian assassination plots targeting executives at two German defense companies.
One potential target was Armin Papperger, CEO of defense giant Rheinmetall, which is carrying out a £4.2 billion contract to supply artillery shells to Ukrainian forces.
"Leaders of defence companies in the UK and in Europe are beginning to think about their own security and the security of their companies' installations. Russia is signalling that everybody who is involved in the defence enterprise is now considered a legitimate target for the Russians," said Elizabeth Braw, a security expert at the Atlantic Council think tank.
Earlier, the Kremlin threatened that Russia could resort to “quasi-military actions” against Britain in an attempt to force London to stop supporting Ukraine.
Kremlin adviser Andrei Fedorov suggested that British companies producing drones for Ukraine could become targets of attacks carried out by “unknown sources.”
His threat came almost immediately after British Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced during his visit to Kyiv for Ukraine’s Independence Day that London had allowed Ukraine to produce Storm Shadow missiles.
