28 May, 2024 @ 14:47
1 min read

Russia ‘could attack Gibraltar’ if British weapons are used by Ukraine in its territory, Putin’s foreign ministry warns

Vladimir Putin (CREDIT: Kremlin.ru)

RUSSIA has warned it ‘will not hesitate’ to attack strategic military bases like Gibraltar if Ukraine uses British weapons in its territory. 

The threat, made last Thursday, came from Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reports Europa Sur.

She told reporters that British bases would find themselves in the firing line, both ‘within Ukraine and beyond its borders’, if UK weaponry is found to have been used on Russian soil. 

Zakharova specified that such enclaves include military bases both inside and beyond the war zone, posing a threat to military installations in Gibraltar, the Falkland Islands and Africa.

It comes after Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Cameron said Ukraine’s military had the right to use London-supplied weapons to attack targets in its interior. 

The comment infuriated Putin and his government cited it as one of the reasons behind exercises simulating the launch of tactical nuclear missiles this month. 

Putin and his cronies now believe London is becoming increasingly involved in the conflict. 

But any attack by the dictator on British targets could trigger a direct military response from the UK and its NATO allies, including Spain. 

It would drag much of Europe and the US into a complex, region-wide conflict. 

In a military report last year, the UK said Gibraltar was one of its five most important strategic outposts. 

It said the territory can ‘act as a springboard’ for Britain to project its power throughout the world, branding it ‘essential’ in combating ‘current and future threats.’ 

Laurence Dollimore

Laurence Dollimore is a Spanish-speaking, NCTJ-trained journalist with almost a decade’s worth of experience.
The London native has a BA in International Relations from the University of Leeds and and an MA in the same subject from Queen Mary University London.
He earned his gold star diploma in multimedia journalism at the prestigious News Associates in London in 2016, before immediately joining the Olive Press at their offices on the Costa del Sol.
After a five-year stint, Laurence returned to the UK to work as a senior reporter at the Mail Online, where he remained for two years before coming back to the Olive Press as Digital Editor in 2023.
He continues to work for the biggest newspapers in the UK, who hire him to investigate and report on stories in Spain.
These include the Daily Mail, Telegraph, Mail Online, Mail on Sunday and The Sun and Sun Online.
He has broken world exclusives on everything from the Madeleine McCann case to the anti-tourism movement in Tenerife.

GOT A STORY? Contact newsdesk@theolivepress.es or call +34 951 273 575 Twitter: @olivepress

1 Comment

  1. This is getting tiresome. So they will use nuclear warheads if, if, if! now threaten a NATO country with attacking a territory close to Spain – also a NATO Country. Its nothing more than sabre rattling. We don’t hear Ukraine saying they’re attack Iran for Russia using their drones to kill civilians in their country!

    Location : Estepona

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