Russia has accused the United Kingdom of direct involvement in a missile strike on a military-linked microelectronics facility in the Bryansk region and warned the attack could escalate the war to what it called a “fundamentally new level.”
In a statement released on Wednesday, March 11, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Ukrainian forces used Storm Shadow cruise missiles to strike the Kremniy El plant, a major Russian manufacturer of microelectronics used in missile guidance systems.
According to the ministry, the strike killed seven civilians and injured 42 others.
“As we have repeatedly pointed out, the use of high-tech Western weapons is impossible without the direct involvement of foreign specialists who ensure their operation and targeting, as well as without the provision of the necessary intelligence data by certain NATO countries,” the ministry said.
“Western handlers of Kyiv bear full responsibility for the consequences of this strike, which resulted in civilian casualties.”
It added that Britain had “stepped beyond the bounds of international law and is ready, through the hands of its puppets, to move the conflict to a fundamentally new level in terms of destruction and human casualties.”
Independent verification of the casualty figures was not immediately possible. Ukrainian officials have said the facility targeted in the strike plays a role in Russia’s military production.
The Kremniy El plant is described by Ukrainian authorities as one of Russia’s largest producers of microelectronic components used in missile guidance and control systems.
Those systems are used in weapons that have repeatedly struck Ukrainian cities during the war. Ukrainian officials said the strike was intended to disrupt Russia’s ability to manufacture critical electronics used in its missile arsenal.
The attack was part of a wider series of Ukrainian operations overnight between March 10 and March 11 targeting Russian military infrastructure.
Russia claims NATO involvement
According to Russia’s Foreign Ministry, Ukraine could not have carried out the attack using Storm Shadow missiles without assistance from Western partners in NATO.
“We also note that the use of British weapons systems is taking place amid intensified political and diplomatic efforts in the Russia-US-Ukraine trilateral format aimed at resolving the Ukrainian crisis,” the ministry added in its statement.
“The goal of London and other Western capitals is obvious – to derail the peace process through a large-scale provocation involving civilian casualties and trigger an escalation of hostilities.”
Storm Shadow missiles are long-range cruise missiles supplied by the United Kingdom and France to Ukraine.
Also Read: Zelenskyy Warns Iran Could Become New Conflict Zone for the Russia-Ukraine War
Western governments have repeatedly said Ukraine has the right to use supplied weapons against military targets linked to Russia’s war effort.
Ukrainian military reports multiple strikes
The Armed Forces of Ukraine said several Russian military targets were struck during the same wave of operations.
According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Ukrainian forces struck a Buk-M1 air defense system near the settlement of Bagativka in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
Additional targets included an oil depot in Berdiansk, lubricant storage facilities in the Berdiansk and Kuznetsivka areas, and a drone depot in Novozlatopol.
Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces said it destroyed a 64N6E radar station and antenna in Sevastopol in occupied Crimea. Ukrainian officials said the radar system supported Russia’s S-300 and S-400 air defense systems.
The Special Operations Forces also released a video that they said showed a strike on an ammunition depot in the Shyroka Balka area of the occupied Donetsk Oblast.
Separately, the Russian Black Sea resort city of Sochi came under prolonged drone attacks over nearly a full day, according to Mayor Andrey Proshunin.
“Today, we encountered an enemy attack unprecedented in length on the resort town,” Proshunin wrote on Telegram on March 11.
“It has continued almost a full day with small breaks.”
The attacks forced the temporary closure of Sochi’s airport, causing extensive flight delays for travelers heading to and from the coastal destination.
Civilian casualties reported on both sides
While Ukraine has intensified strikes against Russian military facilities, Russian forces have continued attacks on Ukrainian cities near the front line.
Regional authorities said Russian drone strikes killed two civilians in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Wednesday. Oleh Syniehubov, governor of the Kharkiv region, said the attack struck what he described as a civilian enterprise.
Three women and four men were hospitalized following the strike, he said. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov later confirmed that two people had died, adding in a message on Telegram that the injured victims were in serious condition.
Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, lies roughly 30 kilometers from the Russian border and has been repeatedly targeted by Russian missile and drone attacks.
Also Read: Putin Unleashes New Wave of Air Dominance as Russia Claims Su‑27 Kill
The city was briefly encircled during the early weeks of Russia’s full-scale invasion, but Ukrainian forces pushed Russian troops away from the area later in 2022.
Despite that setback, Russian forces have continued to conduct frequent aerial strikes on the city. On Saturday, a Russian missile hit a five-storey residential building in Kharkiv, killing at least 10 people, including two children, according to local authorities.
War continues amid stalled diplomacy
The latest strikes come as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict face growing uncertainty.
The war, now in its fifth year since Russia’s full-scale invasion, had been the focus of renewed talks involving the United States, Ukraine, and Russia.
However, a third round of discussions aimed at advancing a potential peace deal has been disrupted by the escalating conflict in the Middle East involving the United States, Israel, and Iran.
