Is Russia eyeing the Falkland Islands or Gibraltar next?
In May at a press conference during a state visit to Uzbekistan, the Russian president warned of the "serious consequences" of NATO countries supplying weapons to Ukraine.
Putin has continuously warned the NATO allies about their participation in the war and has claimed he could push the war outside Ukrainian borders, several analysts believe it could be on British overseas territories.
"In Europe, especially in small countries, they should be aware of what they are playing with," Putin said in a statement gathered by The Moscow Times. He added that these countries tend to have densely populated areas.
The threat adds to what the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Maria Zakharova (in the photo), said. According to Reuters, Zakharova said the UK could expect attacks if Ukraine used British weapons to target Russia.
Some experts believe the targes could be British overseas territories, like Gibraltar or the Falkland Islands. Gibraltar, south of the Iberian Peninsula, is a strategic place for navigation between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic.
The escalation came shortly after the UK's Foreign Affairs representative, David Cameron, said Kyiv could use its weapons against Russian targets. The Kremlin responded aggressively.
According to the news agency, Russian authorities pointed out that Cameron's words made the UK a de facto part of the conflict in Ukraine if Kyiv attacked their territory with British weapons.
The Russian foreign ministry said that the UK could expect them to target "any British military facilities and equipment on the territory of Ukraine and abroad" if that happened, Reuters recalled.
Russian foreign ministry authorities summoned British ambassador Nigel Casey, for a formal protest after the controversial declaration.
The authorities said they summoned Casey to "reflect on the inevitable catastrophic consequences of such hostile steps by London," the news agency added.