Live Ukraine: Kremlin calls British support for attacks on Russia ‘escalation’

6:41 PM, Yesterday

Kremlin calls British support for attacks on Russia ‘escalation’

The Kremlin has reacted angrily to statements by British Foreign Secretary David Cameron. Announcing a €3.5 billion military aid package for Ukraine, Cameron said Ukraine “has the right” to use these weapons in attacks on Russian territory.

Although it cannot be ruled out that Ukraine will use Western weapons for attacks on Russian infrastructure and military targets, the West usually provides arms support to Ukraine with the message that it is intended for its defense. Cameron deviated from this last night: “Just as Russia strikes within Ukraine, you can very well understand why Ukraine feels the need to ensure that it defends itself,” the former Prime Minister of Great Britain said in an interview with the Reuters news agency during visiting Kyiv.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov this afternoon called Cameron’s comments “dangerous” and a “direct escalation of the Ukrainian conflict, which could potentially pose a danger to European security.” Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory with British equipment will be ‘answered’, the Kremlin has warned.

Dylan van Bekkum

12:04, Yesterday

Russian anti-war activist gets 15 years in prison

Russian activist Angel Nikolaev has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for protests against the war in Ukraine. According to a military court in eastern Russia, he is guilty of, among other things, setting fire to a military center. Moreover, he is said to have committed grave desecration at the graves of Russian soldiers.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has been cracking down on dissidents and activists. Hundreds of critics of the regime have been prosecuted, including for participating in protests or making critical statements about the war. Journalists who report critically about the war are accused of spreading disinformation.

According to Zona Solidarnosti, a Telegram channel that provides information about anti-war activists, Nikolaev is also said to have defaced cars with a crossed-out Z. That letter has become a symbol of the Russian invasion. He is said to have pleaded guilty, but still stands by his actions.

Thom Canters

04:57, Yesterday

Cameron promises Ukraine £3 billion in annual military aid ‘for as long as it takes’

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron on Thursday promised Ukraine 3 billion pounds (3.5 billion euros) in annual military aid for “as long as it takes.” He added that the British government has no objection to the weapons also being used in Russia.

“Some of the equipment is arriving in Ukraine today while I am here,” Cameron said in an interview with the Reuters news agency during a visit to Kyiv. Cameron also said that the aid package is Britain’s largest to date.

According to Cameron, Ukraine may use the weapons supplied by London to attack targets in Russia. ‘Ukraine has that right. Just as Russia strikes within Ukraine, you can well understand why Ukraine feels the need to ensure it defends itself,” said the British Foreign Secretary, who served as Prime Minister of Britain from 2010 to 2016. (Reuters)

8:40 PM, the day before yesterday

Welcome to the live blog of Friday, May 3

This was the most important news about the war in Ukraine on Thursday, May 2:

• The Russian Ministry of Defense claims to have captured another village in Ukraine. This concerns the village of Berdychi, in Donetsk province.

• Russia has executed at least 15 Ukrainian soldiers who attempted to surrender since early December 2023. Human Rights Watch reports this.

• Nearly half of the Russians who left the country after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have now returned to Russia, Bloomberg reports.

Read Thursday’s full live blog here.