Margarita Simonyan, the head of Kremlin-backed RT television, has predicted that Vladimir Putin will issue an ultimatum to Britain's next prime minister: stop supplying long-range missiles to Ukraine or face direct Russian missile strikes on London. The warning came after Ukrainian forces used British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles to strike Russia's largest semiconductor assembly factory, the Voronizhsk Semiconductor Device Assembly Plant.
Storm Shadow Strike on Key Russian Plant
The missile attack successfully breached Russian air defences and targeted a facility that produces components for Iskander-K and Kh-101 missiles, as well as Panzer armoured vehicles. The strike is part of a series of Ukrainian offensives demonstrating growing confidence in the war. Russia claimed to have shot down several Storm Shadows but failed to prevent critical damage to the plant.
Kremlin Propagandist Issues Warning
Speaking on Russian state media, Simonyan said: "When London blithely declares that we're currently preparing long-range missiles to strike Moscow - well, listen, here are some interesting spires there. It would be interesting to see those spires go up in flames." She added: "I think it will end with us being forced to issue them with an ultimatum, acknowledging the status quo, which is that they are participants in this war." Simonyan claimed that while Ukraine is at war with Russia, Britain is not officially at war with Russia, but its actions make it a participant.
Timing of Ultimatum Linked to UK Leadership Change
Simonyan suggested Putin is waiting for the change in British leadership, with Andy Burnham expected to replace Sir Keir Starmer as prime minister. She told Russian pro-war activists: "I urge you not to be upset that this has not been done so far. We shouldn't think of ourselves as all being smarter than Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin." The Kremlin is also angered by reports that Britain has built and test-fired three new long-range missile prototypes intended for Ukraine, with successful live-fire trials at the Ministry of Defence Hebrides range in Scotland.
Broader Ukrainian Attacks on Russian Infrastructure
In addition to the semiconductor plant strike, a key Russian satellite communications hub north of Moscow was hit in a recent Ukrainian drone attack, with smoke reportedly pouring from the facility that handles Russia's international telephone lines and government communications. These attacks could jeopardise Russia's efforts to develop its own version of Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet system, which is being fast-tracked for military use.
Russian Retaliation Hits Civilian Shipping
Moscow retaliated with overnight strikes targeting a Turkish dry cargo ship in Ukrainian waters in the Black Sea. An Egyptian ship cook, aged 58, was killed, and the crew—mainly from Turkey and India—were rescued from the burning vessel by the Ukrainian army. The Ukrainian region of Odesa was also hit for the second consecutive day, prompting NATO warplanes to scramble from neighbouring Romania over the weekend.
