British officials are ‘legitimate military targets’ following James Cleverly’s support for Ukraine

British officials are now “legitimate military targets” for Moscow following Secretary of State James Cleverly’s support for Ukrainian attacks in Russia, the Kremlin warned.

Russia’s former president Dmitry Medvedev warned that British government officials who are believed to be “facilitating” Ukraine in its defense against Russia would be targeted.

His extraordinary threat came after Cleverly said Ukraine has the right to use force for self-defense beyond its own borders following reports of a suspected Ukrainian drone strike on Moscow.

Medvedev, a close ally of Putin and his deputy on the country’s security council, tweeted: “Today the UK acts as an ally of Ukraine and provides military aid in the form of equipment and specialists, i.e. it is de facto a undeclared war against Russia. .

“If that’s the case, any of its government officials (military or civilian, who facilitate the war) could be considered a legitimate military target.”

Footage shows a suspected Ukrainian drone exploding with a mushroom cloud (pictured) on Tuesday near the village of Usovo, which is close to Vladimir Putin’s official residence.

A ranting Medvedev continued: “British Foreign Secretary Cleverly has stated that Ukraine has ‘the legitimate right to … project violence beyond its borders to undermine Russia’s ability to project violence into Ukraine itself.’

“In his view, legitimate military targets beyond Ukraine’s border are part of his self-defense.”

Medvedev – seen by some as angling for a return as Russian president if Putin is forced to leave by war failures or ill health – said: “The idiotic officials of the UK, our eternal enemy, should remember that within the framework of the universal accepted international law governing modern warfare, including the Hague and Geneva Conventions with their additional protocols, their state may also be regarded as being at war.”

Smartly, on a visit to Estonia, a NATO country bordering Russia where British troops are stationed, Kiev said “the legitimate right to defend itself” when asked about Tuesday’s drone attack on Moscow.

He said: “I have no details and I am not going to speculate on the nature of the Moscow drone strikes. So what I’m about to say are more general points than about that particular incident.

Ukraine has a legitimate right to defend itself. It has the legitimate right to do so within its own borders, of course, but it also has the right to use force beyond its borders to undermine Russia’s ability to project violence on Ukraine itself.

“So legitimate military targets beyond one’s own border are part of Ukraine’s self-defense. And we have to recognize that.

“That’s not to say I have a particular opinion on the attacks in Moscow, but more generally, military targets beyond one’s own border are internationally recognized as legitimate as part of a nation’s self-defense.”

Several buildings in Moscow’s affluent suburbs were damaged by suspected Ukrainian kamikaze drones yesterday, just hours after Putin unleashed another volley of attacks on Kiev.

A specialist inspects the damaged facade of a multi-storey apartment building after a reported drone strike in Moscow on Tuesday

Russia’s defense ministry said eight drones sent by Ukraine to Moscow were shot down or diverted with electronic jammers, though Baza, a Telegram channel with links to the security services, said it numbered more than 25.

A misguided Putin and his cronies accused Ukraine of “scarening” the Russians with their “increasingly reckless behavior” following the drone strike.

Seemingly forgetting that Russia has unleashed a series of deadly airstrikes on Ukrainian cities that have claimed the lives of thousands since the start of the war 15 months ago, Putin claimed that Kiev had chosen the “road to frighten the citizens of Russia.”

Putin claimed the drone strike was revenge for previous Russian attacks on “command centers.” In reality, the Kremlin’s airstrikes hit residential buildings in Kiev, forcing residents to run for their lives to bomb shelters.

The White House said it was gathering information on reports of drone strikes in Moscow.

We do not support attacks in Russia. That is it. Period,” Karine Jean-Pierre, White House press secretary, said during a briefing.