Russia has marked the fourth anniversary of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine by accusing the UK and France of plotting a nuclear escalation in the war.
In a public notice, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) claimed it had received information suggesting that London and Paris want to provide Ukraine with what it described as a “wunderwaffe” weapon. According to the agency, “Kyiv will be able to secure more favorable terms for ending the fighting if it possesses a nuclear bomb or at least a so-called ‘dirty bomb.’”
The SVR added: “Berlin wisely declined to participate in this dangerous adventure,” and argued that the alleged plan stemmed from recognition that “the current situation in Ukraine leaves no chance of achieving their much-desired victory over Russia.”
The UK government swiftly rejected the claims. A Downing Street spokesperson said there is “no truth” to the allegations, describing them as “a clear attempt by Vladimir Putin to distract” from Russia’s actions in Ukraine. The spokesperson pointed to the Prime Minister’s remarks paying tribute to Ukrainian resilience and to the latest package of military, humanitarian and reconstruction support for Kyiv as evidence of Britain’s continued backing.
France also dismissed the accusation. 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.”
The SVR further suggested that any transfer of such a weapon would be disguised to “appear to be the result of Ukrainian development.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that if such a move were true, it would amount to a “joint attack” on Russia and called for investigations. Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev went further, warning that it could force Moscow to use nuclear weapons on Ukraine and, “if necessary, against the supplier countries that become complicit.”
Ukraine inherited nuclear weapons following the collapse of the Soviet Union but relinquished them in 1994 under the Budapest Memorandum in exchange for security guarantees from the UK, US and Russia. In October 2024, President Volodymyr Zelensky said the decision looked questionable in hindsight after Russia’s invasion. However, he also stated that, if given a choice between nuclear weapons and NATO membership as a security guarantee, he would choose NATO.
Over the course of the conflict, Russian officials themselves have made repeated references to potential nuclear use. In September 2022, Medvedev said Russia had the right to defend itself with nuclear weapons if pushed beyond certain limits and that it was “certainly not a bluff.” Two years later, President Vladimir Putin said Russia would consider nuclear retaliation if directly attacked, even with conventional weapons.
Ukrainian officials have consistently dismissed Moscow’s nuclear rhetoric as intimidation and blackmail amid the ongoing war.
