r/worldnews • u/bendubberley_ • 2d ago
Russia/Ukraine Putin says it's a 'military secret' whether Russia will launch attacks on British soil
https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/putin-military-secret-russia-british-defence-5Hjdgqs_2/1.3k
u/Gentle_Snail 2d ago edited 1d ago
threatening a “semi-military” response claiming Britain is now “involved” in Russia’s war in Ukraine. It also warned the UK of consequences amid reports of Ukraine using British drones in attacks.
Russia has been using Iranian drones from the start, but is now having a tantrum that its their cities being hit by British ones.
Also how is this “semi-military” response any different from when they already tried to burn down Keir Starmers house?
884
u/Accomplished-Tap-456 2d ago
They use north korean soldiers. they use chinese and iranian and north korean hardware supplies and intel. they use belarussian territory. the shoot trough polands airspace. they kill citizen of many different countries, in many different countries. they hack and influence many nations. they poison and bomb civilians in different countries. they shoot down passenger airlines. and so on, and so on.
fuck them all, and also fuck their new best buddy USA.311
u/RFragz 1d ago
Most of all they queue into EU West on Dota when they have their own servers
49
u/Short-Evidence5410 1d ago
They also firstpick pudge
12
41
→ More replies (4)38
→ More replies (6)11
u/Inqinity 1d ago
I feel like someone needs to bring that up directly with someone in charge in Russia, and ask why the double standard. I’m curious what the response would be.
25
u/Kichigai 1d ago
They'd probably just deny it entirely, like they have the use of foreign soldiers.
→ More replies (1)8
u/Fantastic_Stretch797 1d ago
Bringing it up does nothing unless the countries that are supposed to respond are actually willing to blow up Russia for doing things that, on paper, should evoke a hot response.
Russia has already proven for over 15 years that modern politicians are not willing to authorize a material response over anything besides their own borders, so asking them about the double standard wouldn't do anything - they can just say "no we didn't," and nobody will really call them on it.
37
u/KatsumotoKurier 2d ago
Of course. It's completely deliberate. The Kremlin knows that its own disingenuous complaints and condemnations are heard by the Russian populace but that criticism of their own nefarious actions rarely make it through to them. Media is heavily controlled there and the nation is fundamentally a dictatorship. It's all by design.
27
u/mr_Joor 1d ago
.. does Putin think because Britain is out the EU they're also out of NATO??
→ More replies (1)66
u/Gentle_Snail 1d ago edited 1d ago
Russia just has a specific hate boner for the UK. Britain is one of Ukraines strongest and most consistent supporters, they’ve been training Ukrainian soldiers since Crimea and were already shipping Ukraine anti-tank missiles back when a lot of europe were still briefing invasion was unlikely.
→ More replies (3)23
u/LeedsFan2442 1d ago
They have had one for us for centuries. Since the days of the Russian Empire they have felt Britain has interfered in their affairs and tried to sabotage them
→ More replies (6)8
u/Valdrax 1d ago
Since the days of the Russian Empire they have felt Britain has interfered in their affairs and tried to sabotage them
I mean, to be fair...
5
u/LeedsFan2442 1d ago
Sure but they are very paranoid that every misfortune is Britain's doing and we spent all the time plotting their destruction.
37
u/meerkat2018 2d ago
Don’t forget North Korean troops on the ground and ballistic missiles.
Ukraine’s allies are still quite shy of that kind of stuff. I think they could up their game a little bit in that regard.
→ More replies (9)9
u/zoinks10 1d ago
They killed people on our soil with a range of very blatantly obvious toxins. They can fuck right off.
You don't want us to hate you? Maybe stick to pushing people out of windows in Moscow.
748
u/sovietarmyfan 2d ago
I wonder if those cheekbones are real or surgically altered.
401
u/fightfire_withfire 2d ago
Get some face paint on him and he’d be the spitting image of Billy the puppet from Saw.
85
u/Ziplockmoneybags 1d ago
35
10
18
→ More replies (3)25
u/_TreeFiddy_ 1d ago
Finding out just now that puppet is called Billy removes all aura that puppet ever had.
51
91
u/Great-Big-3101 2d ago
His whole face is plastic. He used to be really wrinkly, and now he's smooth and shiny.
46
u/PlaneswalkerHuxley 1d ago
I bet this is a body double that has been surgically altered to look like him.
20
82
56
42
u/Brave_Nerve_6871 2d ago
He just needs some lip fillers and he can start on Onlyfans
→ More replies (6)10
u/satireplusplus 1d ago
looks like he's morphing into that classic Bogdanoff face
→ More replies (2)8
46
u/2shayyy 2d ago
It’s their secret bio weapon: Botoxium.
Apparently it’s used so commonly that all Russian women now double as life preservers.
→ More replies (1)13
6
u/totalAnarki 1d ago
Is it actually the original Putin? Or is this his double and the original died?
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (22)3
u/amazing_asstronaut 1d ago
Dude the guy looks like a puppet out of Spitting Image, he's definitely had work done all over his face.
801
u/Itburns12345 2d ago
How many times does the uk need to kick your ass in crimea old man?
279
51
17
u/L_Cranston_Shadow 2d ago
Theirs not to make reply
Theirs not to reason why
Theirs but to do and die7
→ More replies (2)3
327
u/forgiuse 2d ago edited 2d ago
Only an utter idiot would pick another fight on top of the fight they have yet to win. I expect Putin and his supporters to be such idiots.
78
u/Due_Professional_894 2d ago
And to add the U.K's geography makes it highly unlikely. A large percentage of their ships have to sail near or past our islands and bases (Home Isles, Gibraltar, Cyprus). Almost none of ours need to do the reverse.
→ More replies (7)31
u/BranVan3001 2d ago
He won’t do anything openly militarily but covert ops that he can deny he absolutely will if he sees the chance. The question is how the likes of Germany, France and the UK respond.
Worth noting Germany has now changed their laws so their spy agencies can act against foreign states. Words only mean so much but I can see European nations using the same tactics if the situation worsens and then just deny their involvement.
→ More replies (2)7
u/MaxDisdain 1d ago
You mean all the shit they already do.
feels very much like just punch the bully in the nose, he is gonna bully your ass anyway, make it hurt
54
u/Alistal 2d ago
Evidence #1 : ww2 japan
46
→ More replies (3)7
u/gregmat 2d ago
That was a massive gamble on their part hoping they'd knock out enough US aircraft carriers in the Pacific Fleet that the USA would say, "Welp, it's too much effort to go to war with you and kick you out of most of Asia."
That gamble failed. But the idea behind it was pretty interesting. Check out Dan Carlin's podcast Supernova in the East (the first couple of episodes).
6
u/Dull_Quit3027 1d ago
Also shows a fundametal lack of understanding for American culture, love or hate it, but it is very, if you fuck with me, you get fucked.
The whole carry a big stick thing goes back to before ww1 as far as I know.
→ More replies (3)3
u/Alistal 1d ago
I get the gamble, but even before that :
China
+ Dutch east-indies
+ Malaysia
+ Burma -> India
All the while having the SU breathing heavily on their neck
→ More replies (1)3
u/HaximusPrime 1d ago
It almost worked though. Codebreaking and a couple of unlucky decisions (from Japans perspective) and events tipped the tides during the battle of midway, where Japan completely lost their ability to wage war from carriers.
It’s not like the US just completely outmatched Japan straight up.
→ More replies (2)6
10
u/so-so-it-goes 1d ago
"Only an idiot fights a war on two fronts. Only the heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Idiots would fight a war on twelve fronts."
4
u/Myrkinn 1d ago
I understood that reference!
Although I know Babylon V only from video clips.
3
u/badwolf1358 1d ago
They are releasing all the episodes on the youtube channel for free. They are about half way through season 1 right now.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (11)18
u/memoriesofgreen 2d ago
He wants another fight though, at the least to be able to convince his public that NATO is involved . Russia can withdraw without having been beaten by Ukraine.
→ More replies (1)52
u/LojZza88 2d ago
At this point Russia needs to be dismatled. If they withdraw, they just going to regroup and start this shit again in 5-10 years.
→ More replies (3)7
u/spidereater 2d ago
Unfortunately there is no UN sanctioned process for the international community to impose regime change on a nation. If there were it would solve a lot of problems.
→ More replies (1)6
u/LojZza88 1d ago
Legally, no. But certain countries did certain things in the past already...
→ More replies (2)
226
u/Westerdutch 2d ago
'No' can absolutely be a secret if you have a desperate need to be interesting.
→ More replies (1)12
109
u/TheOtterMonarch 2d ago
in other words, he doesn't want to say no because he would lose the intimidation factor.
cmon guys. we, including him, all know that russia wouldn't stand a chance against NATO. especially seeing how they're doing against ukraine
→ More replies (10)73
u/ledow 2d ago
At this point, I'm fairly convinced that Russia would be significantly damaged by a war with the UK alone.
I mean... look at what Ukraine achieved so far. The UK have a history of knowing how to fight, the military to back it up (on the scale necessary for a small country) and historically... we're the ones who tend to get pissed off on other people's behalf and be the ones to declare war.
I mean, we invented special forces, we invented the intelligence services, and we basically invented the computer in order to win a war.
I think that, NATO or not, Russia would regret provoking even just the UK to the point where it acts directly. Or any of the surrounding countries. It's barely STAYING ALIVE in Ukraine, it's already way overstretched, and picking one of the countries with a history of not-taking-any-shit even when it comes to our own detriment? That would be suicide, I think.
Hell, we literally sent our navy a third of the way around the world to defend a few islands just a few decades ago. I'm not sure that direct action from the UK wouldn't just finish Russia off, personally. We're unlikely to just play if we did so.
49
u/hockeynut15 2d ago
You also have to factor in the UK’s wider position. It’s one of the most influential military, intelligence and diplomatic players in Europe, and a major part of the West’s defence architecture.
Even if there were initial reluctance within NATO to let a direct UK–Russia conflict spiral into something larger, I find it very hard to imagine the UK being left to fight alone. Most of Europe, in particular, would almost certainly rally behind it very quickly.
→ More replies (8)29
u/hagenissen999 2d ago
Norway would have no other choice than joining the UK and that would drag in the rest of the Nordic countries. There is no way Russia could fight that.
7
u/MysilRBergsprekken 1d ago
Why would Norway have no choice?
11
u/AppleSeider5306 1d ago
So i’m not well studied on this and don’t live in either place so i apologize if i get some things wrong but Norway and the UK signed the Lunna House Agreement which is basically a defense pact to monitor Russian naval activity.
Now i’m unsure of the details but i’m assuming based on op’s comment that there is some understanding that if one gets attacked both declare war.
→ More replies (18)19
u/TheMadMan10 2d ago
Fellow UK person. I served in the Army for 24 years and also continue to "support my country" in related security work. I'm not sure the UK is able to respond to the same militarily effect as they once did. Not sure they have a Navy that can threaten at any level (I mention this as you refer to the Falklands above which was nearly 50 years ago).
I think if Russia decided to do something on UK soil it would be something related to National security e.g. on our National Infrastructure. I'm not sure they'd be a direct attack as such. But an attack on our Infrastructure using AI or hacking would be a test to see what we do in response. And I would imagine that response would be limited to a political response at best. We don't have the ability to wage any type of traditional warfare directly with Russia, or anybody else for that matter. Are Armed Forces are very small and we have limited capacity when it comes to ships and planes. We're not what we used to be.
That said, I think your point on being over stretched in Ukraine is fair and this would limit anything Russia could do with the UK.
→ More replies (3)11
u/ledow 2d ago
Oh, I'm not saying we're incredible (determined, etc. maybe, but our resources are not in hardware and brute force).
I'm saying that Russia really doesn't have the resources to fight even just us, and I'm kind of dubious that it ever has in the last... what... 30 years of trying to convince us?
I think the UK mobilising just what we have in direct action would be a serious problem for Russia at the moment, especially. Not least because we are being called out by Russia - directly - because we were the ones training Ukrainian troops in covert operations, as well as providing the intelligence that allowed Ukraine to raise the alarm, and we have literally been called out by Putin because our special forces were on the ground before this even started (this time around).
We would be a huge problem for Russia, if they can barely defend their oil resources, etc. already.
→ More replies (2)
150
u/nomad2284 2d ago
They already have attacked people in the UK.
85
22
u/electroriverside 1d ago
Yes, indeed. The Russian Salisbury attack killed a British citizen on British soil.
→ More replies (3)
30
u/Sagronym 2d ago
A little rat trapped in his labyrinth of lies and wars, unable to find an exit, only pulling the propaganda trigger to scare and harass other people - like his US counterpart. 😄 And both shitting their pants in fear of a terror attack on their precious geezer lifes.
59
19
21
u/SteveTheMean 2d ago
Cannot wait for the day his Wikipedia article is in past tense.
→ More replies (2)
18
u/Ok-Currency1593 2d ago
Putin says it's a military secret on whether Russia has already launched attacks on nato soil
even though we know they already have
10
u/monitor_lizard_2000 2d ago
He should bear in mind what happened when Hitler attacked Britain.
→ More replies (10)
13
u/Weak_Definition_4321 2d ago
You know what's not a secret? The disintegration and collapse of Russia.
12
u/Loki-L 1d ago
Is he aware that Britain is mostly an island nation and that Russians would have to cross water to get there?
The Russian military and water are not really things that mix very well.
→ More replies (3)
10
u/heavenihavent 2d ago
"But it's russophobic to think that Russia may attack a NATO country. But also we will attack a NATO country any time now, but also we will not say whether we will attack a NATO country. You think we will, you russophobe? We told you we won't, just like Ukraine. But we might, so be prepared, but don't boost your military cos we see it as a provocation. We don't want a defensive alliance at our doorstep, so we will threaten all our neighbors with an invasion. Scared enough? Wrong. You russophobe."
10
u/gillgrissom 1d ago
He wont do jack, He attacks UK with military Moscow would be blitzed
→ More replies (3)6
u/lolcatz_live 1d ago
it's russia, chances are if they do attack british soil, they will just pay some radicalized far right teenagers to commit a mass shooting and then pretend it wasn't them. They can't do much else
47
u/Ok-Professor-Star 2d ago
The Russian mind sees democracies are weak, something that can collapse with a very gentle push.
When you look at America, how Trump is dismantling American institutions with very little push back, Putin sees proof of his theories.
When you see how France is about to install a Pro-Russian President in Marine Le Pen and how Germany is about to elect literal neo-Nazis in the afD... Putin thinks he has already won.
The only "nut" Putin hasn't been able to crack is the UK who obstinately refuse to vote for Pro-Russian parties, but Putin thinks the Kremlin propaganda repeating Farage and Reform Party might take power some day and turn the UK into a dysfunctional state, further weakening NATO.
So, yeah, this guy thinks he can take on NATO with hybrid warfare, propaganda campaigns to favor pro-Russian politicians and that NATO is not going to defend itself.
30
u/Hootinger 1d ago
Wasn't Brexit a Russian influenced operation?
15
u/electroriverside 1d ago
And American backed; the two came together for that one.
→ More replies (3)3
u/TimSylvester_ 1d ago
Fascists, while claiming nationalism as a justification for their actions, don't truly care about any nation, they only care for the acquisition of power and the facility to dominate others. Whatever words they use or reasons they state are a means to an end, not a belief they hold or a concern they have.
22
u/Due_Professional_894 2d ago
France has been "nearly" installing a La Penn for a quarter of a century. As with Meloni, the national interest remains, whatsover.
6
u/agiantdog33 2d ago
I've been reading Le Monde Diplomatique for decades now (I like the geography) and it seems like every few years they're claiming that fascism is just around the corner in France.
5
u/pedleyr 1d ago edited 1d ago
This narrative is driven mainly by the fact that the English speaking world makes absolutely no effort to understand the French electoral system.
It's a two-round system, so in the first round everyone votes for whoever they would most prefer. All of the non-racist candidates "steal" votes from one another in this phase, as everyone has reasonable differences in position. Le Pen voters vote for Le Pen as she and her father were a voice that those voters rally around consistently.
Le Pen therefore fares well, as she (and her father before her) have very few people that they are splitting votes with. The other other candidates may even get fewer votes than Le Pen, because someone might think that candidate 3's healthcare policy is better than candidate 2's healthcare policy. They are never going to vote Le Pen: it's either candidate 2 or 3, and they make their choice.
So Len Pen and Candidate 2 finish top two in votes. The system then requires those top two candidates to compete in a runoff. This is when the English speaking press chimes in and talks about how many votes Le Pen has received and how she is "ahead". But what then happens is that the millions of voters that didn't vote for Le Pen, but instead voted for someone who isn't a racist idiot, coalesce around candidate 2 because, ultimately yes they preferred candidate 3's healthcare policy, but they very much favour candidate 2 over Le Pen. And that candidate wins comfortably, because Le Pen is a fucking idiot and the majority of voters know it.
It's not like America where you have a huge cohort that just decide not to vote because their preferred candidate didn't make it so the result functionally gets handed to the opponent.
EDIT: I should clarify something here. I've called Le Pen a fucking idiot. I stand by the label. But she isn't a fucking idiot in the sense that a lot of American, British or Australian politicians are idiots. For example she is not a bumbling illiterate mess. She is very intelligent and articulate. Her ideas are expressed in a way that is very clear and cogent. They are just foundationally and fundamentally flawed and wrong.
→ More replies (1)2
u/360_face_palm 1d ago
brexit: lots of russian funding - their entire european strategy focused on isolating the UK from the rest of Europe - and they won because 51.9% of the electorate are morons. Quite successful outcome for Russia here, we've been weakened for at least a generation as a result.
reform party might be doing badly at the moment but I suspect they'll bound back before 2029 - and there absolutely are a hell of a lot of people who want to vote for this pro russia party.
9
u/Periodic_Disorder 2d ago
If he does the oligarchy will have his head. All their kids live in London.
→ More replies (1)
7
6
u/guille9 2d ago
Who could be crazy enough to do something like this?
13
u/urbanmark 2d ago edited 1d ago
Polonium poisoning in a London sushi restaurant. Weapons grade nerve agent in a perfume bottle in a park….Putin is not a rational human being, he is willing to gamble with the literal fallout.
→ More replies (1)
6
4
u/ClownMorty 2d ago
Lol trying to do strategic ambiguity doesn't work on the people who have your phones/house/satellites tapped and also Medvedev can't keep his mouth shut.
4
5
u/Narrow_Technician_25 1d ago
Does he know what happened to the last guy who bombed cities in the UK?
4
u/Slanderous 1d ago
Russia has already carried out attacks on British soil, just ask Sergei and Yulia Skripal.
5
4
u/Expert-Scarcity8449 1d ago
They've been launching attacks on British soil for 20 years.
Poisonings, assassinations, cyber attacks, political and electoral manipulations and influencing in bad faith.
If they could land a strike on British soil, it would have happened years ago.
7
u/Funk5oulBrother 2d ago
Anywhere a British soldier sets foot is British soil - or whatever this old cunt said
3
3
3
u/BemaJinn 2d ago
Russia is always launching attacks on British soil, lest we forget things like Litvinenko.
They always have, and always will.
5
5
u/Baked4skin 1d ago
Well they already have conducted attacks on british soil. People forget the novichok situation already?
5
u/Calm-Professional103 1d ago
Putin: “We have been toying with the idea of a limited nuclear exchange”
Psychiatrist: “And is this idea in the room with us now?”
5
3
u/xxdavidxcx87 1d ago
He's just a weak little man.
He wanted to invade and take Ukraine to have some kind of legacy in Russia and it's massively backfired.
He and Russia are in no position to start a war with anyone.
3
u/Fluffer_Wuffer 1d ago
Old news - He's already done this at least twice.. and the UK's intervention in Ukraine is a direct response to that..
Vlad buddy, this isn't a case of bully harder and they backdown. Britain has a very deep set moral compass, mixed with a psychopathic tendency.
→ More replies (1)
4
6
u/escalinci 2d ago
Russia planted explosives in parcels headed to the UK as long ago as 2024, and obviously had long targeted the UK with state-sponsered cyber attacks.
7
u/created4this 1d ago
"Could British military industrial facilities located on British territory become military targets?," a reporter asked.
In a taunting response, Putin said with a smirk on his face that it is a “military secret”.
Putin 100% has plans on how to attack the UK. The UK 100% has plans on how to attack Russia. Thats what military planners do, so at any point they can pull open their playbook and say "we have been attacked/we have been asked to attack, what do our wargames plans say". The UK probably even have plans for how to attack Germany and a whole host of other currently friendly countries. They even have open field wargames in the atlantic. The UK has even successfully "nuclear bombed" US cities as exercises to evaluate US defenses (although this is with the US involvement)
He made clear any "British military facilities" in Ukraine were "absolutely" on Russia's hit list.
Putin added: "If there are, then absolutely, I can confirm once again: any military facilities in Ukraine are our legitimate target, British or otherwise."
Well that's a "no-shit sherlock" moment that's also barely worth reporting being made out to be a major reveal.
→ More replies (2)
7
u/dnuohxof-2 1d ago
Putin’s Russia and Netanyahu’s Israel can both go fuck themselves into oblivion
3
u/Dry_Midnight_5361 1d ago
There's a very real chance Netanyahu gets voted out in Israel's upcoming elections, his refusal to give a proper inquiry into October 7th is bleeding him votes.
→ More replies (1)
3
3
u/Queasy_Bluebird1585 2d ago
After twice killing British citizens on British soil and then laughing about it, is it any different than before?
3
3
u/PeilAyr 2d ago
Well given they already carried out chemical warfare on British soil, it's a given they'll try something
→ More replies (1)
3
u/AschAschAsch 2d ago
FYI, replying "it's a military secret" in Russian is a reply when you just don't want to answer the question.
3
u/PsychologicalLime120 2d ago
I can't fathom how that government thinks it can afford a war with Europe when it seems to be able to barely keep up with Ukraine.
3
u/PalOfAFriendOfErebus 2d ago edited 2d ago
If this piece of shit had it easy in Ukraina his threats could have been possibile
3
u/Emotional_Situation7 2d ago
Putin’s translation: I lie a lot, I bluff a lot, to instill fear, which isn’t working, so I’ll continue to lie to the world thinking that we’re still stuck in the 1980’s and a global power, and that we will steam roll Ukraine in 3 days and eventually take over Europe P.S I will die soon in Russia, and this whole invasion was a waste of time, men, money, I will also be globally laughed at if I don’t overtake Ukraine within the next 3 years and China will be knocking on my door soon to overtake Russia and its resources
3
u/MrJimmyRed 2d ago
Just imagine if he did, just how stupid of a move it would be.
He seems to be cornered, he seems to be scared?
3
u/Braklinath 2d ago
Threatening to expand your already losing war is definitely one way to get you to a resolution to said war.
3
3
u/strictlyphotonic 2d ago
That little coward is probably going to try another chemical attack / defenestration execution, in addition to his ongoing cyber attacks and interference. The prick's a keyboard warrior.
3
u/Rough_smooth_rough 2d ago
If he painted red spirals on his cheeks he'd look like the doll from Saw.
3
3
u/KnowsIittle 1d ago
Putin needs NATO to attack Russia so it supports his view Russia was defeated by NATO and not Ukraine.
Being defeated by Ukraine is an embarrassment. Being defeated by the entirety of NATO was inevitable. It lets him preserve some form of dignity.
3
u/nihillistic_raccoon 1d ago
How about you conclude your "3 day operation" in Ukraine first, champ. Doesn't seem to be going swimmingly
3
u/jacku-all 1d ago
Why doesn’t a country try to live in peace rather than try to cause problems in other countries.
3
u/DoubleShotOfSigh 1d ago
He may have missiles for the UK but he doesn’t have missiles for the world to respond in kind. He also knows everyone is gonna gun for his country first before its allies which I doubt a Russian today can survive.
The best he can do is try to go after a small country and cry about it when the other big boys help that country.
3
u/TheTrueUnivers 1d ago
Do it, start a new war before you can even finish your last. What could go wrong?
3
u/_evilalien_ 1d ago
Not a military secret: Russia would be absolutely walked by only a fraction of NATO. The only way it survives is dangling Putin from a rope before he does something like attack Britain.
3
u/Inside_Ad7388 1d ago
Trump reassessing US stance on Falkland Islands, Putin threatening attacks on UK, they aren’t even hiding their stupidity and obvious partnership. Stay ready NATO someone needs a major distraction to further interfere with midterms.
3
3
u/Bleezy79 1d ago
The world is held hostage by a bunch of geriatric authoritarians who are too afraid to let go of power and enjoy their twilight years. Its exhausting and tiresome.
3
6.1k
u/BanAllInfluencers 2d ago edited 1d ago
Translation: My bluff has been called and I do not have an actionable plan yet.
Edit: Guys I am aware they have done stuff. A plan is usually for things in the future, not for things that have happened.