Russia Accuses UK and France of Plotting Nuclear Escalation as Ukraine War Hits Four Years

Russia has marked the fourth anniversary of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine by accusing the United Kingdom and France of plotting a nuclear escalation in the conflict.

In a statement, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) claimed it had received information suggesting that London and Paris intended to provide Kyiv with a so-called “wunderwaffe” weapon. The SVR alleged that possession of a nuclear bomb or a “dirty bomb” could allow Ukraine to secure more favorable terms for ending the fighting.

The agency added that Germany had declined to participate in the alleged plan, suggesting that Western leaders recognized their “much-desired victory over Russia” was unattainable under current conditions. It further claimed that any transfer of such a weapon would be disguised as the result of Ukrainian development.

The UK government swiftly rejected the accusations. A Downing Street spokesperson described them as “a clear attempt by Vladimir Putin to distract” from Russia’s actions in Ukraine, highlighting continued British support for Kyiv through military, humanitarian, and reconstruction assistance.

France also dismissed the claims. In a post on X, the French Foreign Ministry wrote: “Five years into its ‘three-day war,’ Russia would really prefer you focus on French and British nukes.”

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that if the allegations were true, it would amount to a “joint attack” on Russia and called for investigations. Former President Dmitry Medvedev went further, warning that it could justify Russia using nuclear weapons on Ukraine and, “if necessary, against the supplier countries that become complicit.”

Ukraine relinquished the nuclear weapons it inherited from the Soviet Union in 1994 under the Budapest Memorandum in exchange for security guarantees from the UK, US, and Russia. In October 2024, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the decision appeared questionable in hindsight but emphasized that NATO membership would be a preferred security guarantee over nuclear weapons.

Russian officials have repeatedly referenced potential nuclear use during the conflict. In September 2022, Medvedev said Russia had the right to defend itself with nuclear weapons if pushed beyond limits. In 2024, President Vladimir Putin warned that Russia would consider nuclear retaliation even against conventional attacks. Ukrainian officials, meanwhile, continue to dismiss Moscow’s nuclear rhetoric as intimidation and blackmail.