Putin says the idea he would attack NATO ‘is boll**ks’ and denies having ‘imperial ambitions’, telling Western journalists: ‘Have you lost your mind? It’s nonsense’

An angry Vladimir Putin has threatened to load Britain’s enemies with missiles so they can attack Britain, in revenge for supplying long-range Storm Shadow weapons to Ukraine.

The Russian president accused Britain of direct involvement in the war in Ukraine and claimed that British armed forces personnel are targeting missiles that hit Russian targets.

Kremlin dictator threatened for the first time to supply his advanced weapons to enemies of Britain and other Western countries that supply long-range weapons to Kiev.

These Russian weapons could then be used to inflict damage NATO to land.

Putin also threatened to use again nuclear weapons as Russia“Sovereignty and territorial integrity” are threatened, warning: “This should not be taken lightly and superficially.”

Vladimir Putin has threatened to supply Britain’s enemies with missiles so they can attack Britain in revenge for supplying long-range missiles to Ukraine.

The Russian president made the chilling comments during a speech to the media at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum

Kremlin dictator threatened for the first time to supply his advanced weapons to enemies of Britain and other Western countries that supply long-range weapons to Kiev

Putin made it clear that he was also prepared to supply weapons in the same way that NATO countries had done, but in his case to enemies of Britain and other Western countries.

Russians investigate a downed British Storm Shadow missile (photo)

He accused Britain, the US and… France of using its forces to target Russian positions related to the war in Ukraine.

“As for long-range precision weapons… like the British Storm Shadow or the American ATACMS or French missiles,” he said in an interview with journalists at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

“How is it used?” Putin asked.

“Ukrainian soldiers cannot do everything alone and strike with this missile.

“They are simply not technologically capable of doing that,” he continued.

“To do this you need satellite reconnaissance, and based on this satellite reconnaissance… form a flight task, and then feed it into the missile system.

‘The soldier standing next to it just does it automatically, he presses buttons.

“Maybe he doesn’t even know what will happen next.”

Putin made it clear that he sees this as direct Western involvement in the war.

“I repeat: the task of flight is formed and…entered only by those who supply these weapons,” he said.

“If it’s ATACMS then the Pentagon is doing it, if it’s Storm Shadow that means the British are doing it.

“And in the case of Storm Shadow, it’s even simpler.

‘The simplicity lies in the fact that the flying task is entered automatically, without the intervention of soldiers on the ground.

“The British do it, so that’s it…”

Putin said there could be an “asymmetric response” if Western long-range missiles are deployed by Ukraine to hit Russian territory.

Russia claimed last year to have seized an intact British-supplied Storm Shadow missile as a ‘war trophy’

The missile was seen in images with minor damage after it was downed in a cornfield near Berdiansk before being bundled into a Russian vehicle

The moment of a Storm Shadow missile attack on Chongar Bridge in June last year. Ukraine used the British-supplied missile to destroy the main bridge between Crimea and Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine’s Kherson region

So far, these weapons have only been used to attack areas of Ukraine invaded by Russia, but Kiev is now authorized to carry out attacks within Putin’s borders.

Putin made it clear that he was also prepared to supply weapons in the same way that NATO countries had done, but in his case to enemies of Britain and other Western countries.

He asked, ‘What should we do in response?

‘First we will of course improve our air defense systems. We will destroy them.

“Secondly, we think: if someone considers it possible to supply such weapons to a war zone to attack our territory and create problems for us, why don’t we have the right to supply our weapons of the same class to those regions ? of the world where they will attack sensitive facilities of the countries that do this to Russia?

‘So the reaction could be asymmetrical. We will think about this.’

Putin has not indicated exactly to whom he wants to supply weapons.

“If we see these countries becoming involved in a war against the Russian Federation, we reserve the right to act in the same way.

“Overall, this leads to very serious problems,” he said.

On nuclear war, he warned the West not to turn a blind eye to the risk.

Russian nuclear doctrine allowed for the use of tactical – or battlefield – nuclear weapons, he said.

“For some reason the West believes that Russia will never use it,” the dictator said.

‘We have a nuclear doctrine, look what it says.

“If someone’s actions threaten our sovereignty and territorial integrity, we consider it possible that we will use all available resources.

“This should not be taken lightly and superficially.”

The 2020 doctrine states that Russia could press the button in response to an attack with nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction, or to the use of conventional weapons against Russia “when the very existence of the state is threatened.”

It comes next Russia claimed to have seized an intact British-supplied Storm Shadow missile last year as a ‘war trophy’.

The missile was seen in images with minor damage after it was downed in a cornfield near Berdiansk before being bundled into a Russian vehicle.

‘The enemy tried to prevent us from capturing such a trophy and delivering it safely [Russia] by sending his group of fighters to intercept,” said former head of Russia’s space agency Dmitry Rogizin.

“The missile has just been transferred to one of our defense companies, whose specialists will decipher the algorithms of the control system of this dangerous missile weapon and share them with air defense experts,” he added.

A month earlier, in June 2023, Ukraine used a British-supplied Storm Shadow missile to hit a key bridge between Crimea and Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine’s Kherson region, pro-Moscow sources claimed at the time.

Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-appointed governor of Kherson, said Storm Shadow long-range cruise missiles were likely used in the attack, which damaged the road on the Chongar Bridge.