Russian President Vladimir Putin was urged to target British defence-linked locations by a high-profile politician in Moscow. A list of 23 British sites was highlighted in a map and mentioned by Kremlin senator Dmitry Rogozin last year.
A former deputy prime minister, Rogozin sent a warning to the UK, singling out military bases in Barrow, Plymouth, and Glasgow, among other sites. The 23 defence locations - spanning military and industrial locations across all four nations of the UK - have been pinpointed on a map extracted from the UK government's policy paper 'Defence Industrial Strategy 2025: Making Defence an Engine for Growth'.
Rogozin's Warning
Rogozin said: "It is useful to read this for those of us who still consider peace with imperialist aggressors possible. And my advice to our [Russian] oligarchs: Do not send your children to study in England. It is deadly dangerous."
The rant came in response to former British defence secretary Ben Wallace, who said: "We must help Ukraine acquire long-range capabilities to make Crimea uninhabitable. We need to strangle Crimea."
Rogozin also said: "Former British Defence Minister Ben Wallace on what Kyiv and its NATO allies should do to end the military actions. We must help Ukraine acquire long-range capabilities to make Crimea uninhabitable. We need to strangle Crimea. What a sober minister has in mind, a former one has on his tongue. However, it is even good that they reveal their true intentions."
Echoes from Propagandist
Rogozin's message was echoed by TV propagandist Vladimir Solovyov who said: "Dmitry Rogozin today posted a reminder of targets in Britain that could be destroyed first. The idiots will get what's coming to them, they'll just get what's coming to them."
Ukraine's Counter-Offensive
Putin is losing 5,000 troops per week in the Russia-Ukraine war, according to the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio.
Ukraine’s tactics recently have been centering around weakening Moscow's access to essential war-time supplies. Known as Russia's "Amazon", a reference to the online marketplace, a huge warehouse owned by Wildberries, Russia’s largest e-commerce company, has been accused by Kyiv of housing military and drone equipment that is often sent to the frontline.
Wildberries customers can buy radios, combat gear and body armour - the company employs around four million people and supplies the Russian army. Ukraine's first attack on Wildberries took place last weekend. Ukraine has also been targeting oil refineries and other Russian infrastructures.
