Putin Warns Britain Over Ukraine Military Sites, Calls Threats to Civilian Aviation ‘State Terrorism’

Sep 2, 2026 at 12:20 PM

|

Lanka Leader

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that British military facilities established on Ukrainian territory would be regarded as legitimate targets by Russian forces, while accusing Kiev of moving toward what he described as “state terrorism” through threats against civilian aviation.

Speaking to reporters in Bishkek, Putin also said Russian forces were accelerating their offensive across Ukraine, rejected proposals to simply freeze the conflict along the current front line, and warned that Moscow would respond to attacks on Russian civilian and energy infrastructure.

‘The enemy will crumble’

Putin said Ukrainian forces were steadily losing ground as Russian troops continued to advance and increase the pace of their offensive.

He said Russian forces were approaching the cities of Slavyansk, Kramatorsk and Druzhkovka and claimed that around 5,000 Ukrainian troops had been encircled near the Krasnooskolskoye Reservoir.

He also reported Russian advances in the Zaporozhye Region and toward Sumy. 

“I have no doubt that the enemy will ‘crumble,’” Putin said, while cautioning that the timing of such a development was difficult to predict.“War is cruel and difficult to predict,” he added.

Putin rejected proposals for freezing the conflict along the existing front line.

“We don’t want to freeze it. We want to end the war and achieve a lasting, absolute peace – both in Ukraine and in Europe,” he said.

Putin warns over threats to civilian aviation

Putin described Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s reported threats against civilian airlines using Russian airspace as “a bid for state terrorism.”

He contrasted those threats with Kiev’s simultaneous calls for negotiations and personal meetings.

“You don’t negotiate with terrorists,” Putin said, warning that Moscow would find a way to respond if attacks against civilian aircraft were actually carried out.

Asked whether Ukrainian political and military leaders could themselves become targets, Putin said Russia had so far refrained from such strikes because it might eventually need Ukrainian officials with whom to negotiate.

“This is a bid for terrorism; it is not yet a transition to terrorism,” he said. “If it comes to that, we will see how to respond. We will find the tools.”

Moscow prepares ‘massive strikes’

Putin said the Russian military had been ordered to prepare “massive strikes” against Ukrainian energy facilities in response to attacks on Russian civilian and fuel infrastructure.

According to Putin, Ukrainian drones had again attempted to penetrate the air defenses of Moscow and St. Petersburg and target three Russian oil refineries. He said the attacks had been repelled. “They hit ours – they’ll get an answer,” Putin said.

He also defended a recent decree allowing temporary state management of poorly protected critical infrastructure, saying the measure was designed to strengthen cooperation between private companies and state agencies in defending key facilities against drone attacks. Putin rejected suggestions that the measure amounted to nationalization.

‘Kiev opened Pandora’s box’

Putin said Russia had not been attacking Ukrainian shipping indiscriminately, insisting that Russian strikes had targeted vessels carrying weapons or ammunition into Ukraine.He argued that secondary explosions following some attacks confirmed the nature of the cargoes.

 “We did carry out precision strikes on certain vessels, but they were genuinely selective,” Putin said.

According to the Russian president, Moscow expanded its maritime response only after Zelensky launched what Putin described as a 40-day campaign against Russia’s economy and logistics. Putin claimed Kiev had failed to inflict “critical damage” on Russia but had attacked around 100 vessels and killed several sailors, including foreign nationals. “You yourselves opened Pandora’s box – now take what comes,” Putin said.

He also revisited the Black Sea Grain Initiative, saying it had originally been presented as an essential mechanism for preventing hunger in developing countries, particularly in Africa. 

According to Putin, however, only about 0.2 percent of Ukrainian grain exported under the arrangement reached developing markets, while the majority went to comparatively wealthy European countries.

Putin praises Trump envoys

Putin dismissed suggestions that contacts between Russian and American intelligence officials were unusual. He noted that communication channels between intelligence agencies had remained open even during the Cold War.

He also singled out Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, describing the two Trump confidants as sincere interlocutors who enjoy the US president’s trust.

“Mr. Kushner and Witkoff are always welcome guests here, and we work with them with pleasure,” Putin said.

Moscow, he added, was open to additional participants in negotiations over Ukraine if they could make a concrete contribution.

However, Putin warned against allowing diplomacy to continue in what he called a “meaningless mode.”

‘British military facilities are legitimate targets’

Putin gave his clearest warning yet concerning possible British military involvement on Ukrainian territory.“Any military facilities in Ukraine are our legitimate targets – British ones, any others,” he said.

Asked whether British military-industrial facilities located inside the United Kingdom could also become targets if British weapons were used against Russia, Putin refused to disclose where Moscow’s red lines were located.

“That’s a secret. A military secret,” he said. The warning comes amid continuing debate over Western military assistance to Ukraine and the possible establishment or expansion of foreign military facilities on Ukrainian territory. Putin says Germany only needs to ‘press the button’

Putin also rejected German accusations linked to a drone incident in Leipzig, arguing that Berlin was using the alleged threat of an “aggressive Russia” to distract from domestic political and economic difficulties.

He recalled earlier accusations that Russia had sabotaged its own Nord Stream pipelines, calling the claim absurd given Moscow’s interest in selling natural gas to Europe. Russia, Putin said, remains capable of supplying Germany with gas. “They only need to press the button,” he said.

According to Putin, however, German leaders lack the political will to restore such supplies because of US sanctions. He described Germany’s broader Russia policy as contrary to the interests of the German people.

‘The sharks of imperialism’

Putin was also asked about a recent analogy involving orcas, polar bears and Russia’s confrontation with the West.

He joked that comparing the collective West to an orca would be unfair to the animal because killer whales are intelligent creatures. Instead, Putin revived an old Soviet expression, referring to the West as the “sharks of imperialism.”

“If someone tries to drag us down the food chain and gobble us up, they may get hit in the teeth,” Putin said.

“Russia is ready to do that, despite the rapidly growing appetites and teeth of these sharks.”

Putin’s remarks underline Moscow’s increasingly explicit warning that continued Western military involvement in Ukraine could carry consequences beyond the Ukrainian battlefield, while Russia continues to present its military campaign as aimed at securing what it describes as a lasting settlement and broader European security.

‘Military secret’: Putin keeps Kiev and London guessing over Russia’s ‘legitimate targets’ (KEY REMARKS)