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Topics: Politics, Russia, UK News, Ukraine, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Callum Jones
Topics: Politics, Russia, UK News, Ukraine, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Here is everything we know regarding Vladimir Putin and Russia's UK 'target list', as talk of a potential Third World War intensifies.
While President Donald Trump has met with both Ukrainian and Russian officials this year, there appears to be no end in sight, nearly four years on from Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's senior advisor and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, visited the Kremlin last month and were locked into a five-hour discussion.
However, Putin has since warned that Russia is 'ready' to fight should a war arise in Europe.
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"We're not planning to go to war with Europe, I've said that a hundred times," the Russian president said after an investment forum earlier this month.
"But if Europe suddenly wants to fight us and starts, we're ready right now. There can be no doubt about that."
The UK has long supported Ukraine since the war broke out, with the country's former defense secretary Ben Wallace, who was in the role until 2023, posting a map detailing a strategy to make Crimea 'uninhabitable' for Russia.
Wallace said: "Ukraine does not need to invade the peninsula (which I concede would be incredibly difficult if not impossible) but they should choke it to death."
The comments have led to a former Russian official detailing the UK 'target list' in the event of a full-blown war happening across Europe.
Dmitry Rogozin, a former Russian deputy prime minster, detailed the list of priority targets for long-range strikes in the event that Russia goes to war with the UK.
Russia is clearly targeting areas home to significant suppliers of weapons and other military equipment, which are spread across the UK.
Glasgow – BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, Thales
Belfast – Harland & Wolff, Spirit Aerosystems, Thales
Fivemiletown – Cooneen Defense
Barrow-in-Furness – BAE Systems
Bolton – MBDA
Telford – RBSL
Aberporth – QinetiQ, Tekever
Merthyr Tydfil – General Dynamics
Glascoed – BAE Systems
Bristol – Airbus, BAE Systems, GKN Aerospace, Leonardo, MBDA, QinetiQ, Rolls-Royce
HMNB Devonport – Babcock
Yeovil – Leonardo
Aldermaston – AWE
London – Helsing, Palantir
Stevenage – Airbus, MBDA
Ampthill – Lockheed Martin
Derby – Rolls-Royce
Sheffield – Sheffield Forgemasters
Warton & Samlesbury – BAE Systems
Newton Aycliffe – Octric Semiconductors
Tyne & Wear – BAE Systems, Leonardo
Edinburgh – Leonardo
Rosyth – Babcock, QinetiQ
Files seen by the Financial Times earlier this year showed that Russia has trained its navy to target sites deep inside of Europe in case the country does go to war with the UK, for example.
It comes after Business Insider reported earlier this year that Russian forces have been using naval drones equipped with explosives to practice attacking and sinking ships.
The outlet notes the training is likely not for the Ukraine war, considering Kyiv does not have a traditional navy to attack.
Instead, it is likely directed at NATO, given the potential for war with the military alliance.
As the UK is a member of NATO, the alliance's Article 5 mutual defense clause would be triggered if Putin attacked the European nation.
All NATO allies would be bound to their alliance to one another and would have to respond to the attack with their own forces.
The NATO article states: "The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all and consequently they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defense recognized by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area."