Russian ambassador partly blames UK for Ukrainian drone attack

Russia’s UK ambassador has told Sky News that Ukraine’s recent attacks risk escalating the conflict to “World War III” as he partly blamed the UK.

Andrei Kelin warned that Ukraine’s actions “are bringing the conflict to a different level of escalation”, in an interview with Sky News’ Yalda Hakim, and said Kyiv should “not try to engulf World War III”.

“That’s the very worst case scenario that we can imagine,” he said.

More than a hundred Ukrainian drones were deployed inside Russia over the weekend, destroying more than 40 warplanes in an attack Volodymyr Zelenskyy said “will undoubtedly be in history books”.

Mr Kelin pointed the finger at the UK when he said Ukraine must have had assistance in the attacks.

“[This] kind of attack involves, of course, provision of very high technology, so-called geospaced data, which only can be done by those who have it in possession. And this is London and Washington,” he said.

“I don’t believe that America [is involved], that has been denied by President Trump, definitely, but it has not been denied by London.

“We perfectly know how much London is involved, how deeply British forces are involved in working together with Ukraine.”

On Wednesday, Donald Trump said Vladimir Putin told him “very strongly” that Russia “will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields”.

The US president said that he discussed the attack with Mr Putin during a phone call that lasted more than an hour.

“It was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate peace,” he wrote.

Mr Kelin repeated this sentiment, telling Sky News: “It is up to the Ministry of Defence to make a right solution, but we have to respond to it.”

A Downing Street spokesperson said: “We never comment on operational matters at home or abroad.”