Fears UK defence chiefs could be targeted by assassination plots as Putin rages over Storm Shadow arsenal on doorstep

RAGING Vladimir Putin could target Britain’s defence chiefs after the UK agreed to hand Storm Shadow missile blueprints to Ukraine. Kremlin mouthpiece Dmitry Peskov blasted Britain for “adding fuel to the fire” before Prime Minister Andy Burnham hit back and said: “Who started the fire? That’s the question, isn’t it?” Prime Minister Andy Burnham poses in front the Wall of Remembrance at Mykhailivska Square in Kyiv Credit: Getty Footage from Ukraine’s air force showing a Storm Shadow missile being launched Credit: YouTube/Ukrainian Air Force Ahead of his first overseas trip since entering No10, Burnham pledged to give Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky information on the British components on Storm Shadow missiles so that Kyiv can manufacture the weapon itself. Peskov reacted with fury – accusing Britain of “participating” in the war. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! It comes days after Russia warned the UK there would be “consequences” over supplying weapons to Ukraine. Outlining how Putin could retaliate, Brit ex-Army commander Hamish de Bretton-Gordon warned that Russia’s secret service could set its sights on EU defence bosses – including those in the UK. Pointing to the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko in 2006 and Sergei Skripal in 2018, Hamish told The Sun: “We have been in a hybrid war with Russia for some time. “We’ve heard of numerous cyber attacks in the UK and across Europe, a number of sabotage and bombings that have been directly associated to the Russian secret service. “It seems clear Russian proxies or Russian secret service have been trying to target some key European defence leaders. “One assumes that might also be the case in the UK. I expect these leaders are well protected… at times of war, people in key positions – their security is absolutely paramount.” Most read in The Sun Zelenskyy and Andy Burnham shake hands during a commemorative ceremony in Kyiv, Ukraine Credit: AP Putin’s spokesman accused the UK of adding ‘fuel’ to the war in Ukraine Credit: AFP “We know a lot about the Russians, we know how they act, we know that they use their secret service for espionage and assassinations and other subterfuge. “Those key executives will know that they are potentially targets. I’m sure each individual country will make sure they can do all they can to protect them. “I expect, although they’ll be concerned, there will also be confidence that these people can be kept safe.” European defence CEOs supplying weapons to Kyiv have found themselves in the crosshairs of Russian spooks since Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. Earlier this year, German police foiled an assassination plot targeting Stefan Thumann, the CEO of German drone manufacturer Donaustahl. They were tipped off by a foreign intelligence service and arrested two suspected attackers who were caught filming his home and company headquarters. The case was reminiscent of a similar plot against Armin Papperger, the CEO of the German defence giant Rheinmetall, two years ago. Russia appeared to be targeting him for Rheinmetall’s role in supporting Ukraine’s war effort. A suspected Storm Shadow strike by Ukraine pictured in May 2025 Credit: East2West Of the plot, Papperger told DPA news agency: “The jobs have to get done, and anyone who cracks doesn’t belong in a job like this.” Papperger has had bodyguards ever since and Thumann is now believed to be under police protection. Germany has been plagued by these threats this month, from a drone laden with explosives being found near a fleet of Ukrainian cargo planes to a stash of Russian-linked weapons being discovered in a Berlin forest. Britain’s defence chiefs could now find themselves looking over their shoulders as revenge for supplying the Storm Shadow missile blueprints. Hamish said: “The British Secret Service, MI6 and MI5, and also the police counter-terror organisation will no doubt also be looking at this very, very carefully and very closely. “And the capabilities of the British Secret Service seem to be rather more effective than the Russians. “I don’t think anybody will be blasé about this. I’m sure that those leaders of those key companies will make sure that they are protected as best they can be.” Despite the threats, Hamish said sharing information on Storm Shadows is a “really important step forward” for Ukraine to start building the missiles. Ukraine has used British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles to strike Russian military targets Credit: East2West The blueprint to the missile is said to be a ‘really important step forward’ for Ukraine Credit: Times Media Ltd He said: “Because these weapons will be manufactured in Ukraine, they’re much closer to the frontline. “It will be a really big boost for the Ukrainians, and for the Russians who will understand that they will be under a more direct attack from these highly effective cruise missiles. “It certainly gives it a significant advantage… they have a very powerful warhead that can penetrate deep underground to destroy ammunition dumps. “They are a significant addition to the Ukrainians’ military capability – not least because the Russians know that they have great difficulty knocking them down. “These weapons are the sort of things that hopefully will mean that the Russians will have to stop fighting sooner rather than later.” It comes amid mounting pressure on Putin’s war machine. Ukrainian forces have repeatedly pummelled the nation’s equivalent of Amazon and are systemically blasting apart their fuel hubs. For a third night in a row, Ukrainian drones have blitzed Ozon, Russia’s second-biggest online retailer, in an attempt to bleed Putin‘s war chest dry. A Ukrainian attack on the Koledino Industrial Park near Moscow Credit: EPA Russia provoking Britain is just ‘tip of the iceberg’ By Jerome Starkey RUSSIA provokes Britain every single day, warns Defence Secretary Wes Streeting. But the goading goes mostly unseen by the public. Hinting at the secret briefings he receives in his new job, Streeting said what is in the public domain is “only the tip of the iceberg”. Speaking to The Sun on a visit to Ukraine, Streeting said: “Incidents like buzzingairspacee or the shooting in the Channel are performative, irresponsible and designed to provoke. “It does at least provide the ­British with a visible manifestation of the day-to-day provocations that we see from Russia every day.” Streeting insisted the only response was to stand up to Russian aggression. Reflecting on Ukraine’s experience, he said: “With tyrants like Putin — if you compromise, they come back for more.” Read more here. Hamish said; “As Ukraine is attacking Russian factories where they’re making missiles and munitions, one has to assume that Russia will try and do the same.” Kremlin foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia would target and “destroy” facilities producing the Storm Shadow missile in Ukraine while accusing the UK of participating in the war. In a speech in front of St Sofia cathedral in Kyiv, Burnham vowed: “Despite Russia’s outrageous threats to my country, we will continue our support for Ukraine. “This is the moment to keep up the pressure on Russia, the moment to squeeze their ability to fund this illegal war. The sheer strength of the Ukrainian people is truly awesome. “The Ukrainian people deserve not just our continued support but our gratitude and respect.” Speaking alongside Burnham, Zelensky said Ukraine would “not submit” to Russia. He added: “Ukrainians will not be cobblestones under the feet of tsars and rulers.” The united front will no doubt be putting Putin and his cronies increasingly under the cosh as they struggle to fund the war. Hamish said: “I think it’s pretty clear that Putin is in the most difficult position he’s been in his 25 years as president of Russia. “The hope [is that] issues like Storm Shadow being built in Ukraine will be enough to make Putin see that it is futile to continue this war.” Comment now