Russia needs just three missiles to destroy British civilisation, a prominent MP and pro-Putin propagandist has claimed in his latest vitriolic attack against NATO.
Yevgeny Popov raged against American plans to deploy SM-6 surface-to-air and Tomahawk cruise missiles as well as hypersonic weapons under development in Germany.
Popov on Kremlin-controlled Russia state TV listed seven specific targets in England and Scotland, while also stressing ‘all European capitals are at risk’, blaming the planned US deployment in Germany.
He warned: ‘Special attention to Britain, our traditional enemy, as a significant part of the [Russian] Northern Fleet will work against [the UK].’
Detailing possible targets, he said: ‘Under attack Washington has put not only London, but also Manchester, Birmingham, the largest naval base Devonport, the Clyde in Scotland, where the King stores his Trident nuclear missiles, Portsmouth as well as Chatham Dockyard in the county of Kent.
File image shows a Russian Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile launch on April 20, 2022
A prominent MP and pro-Putin propagandist has claimed that the Russian president could target Britain with missiles
‘This is Britain at its most vulnerable,’ he went on. ‘Basically, all it would take is three missiles and this civilisation would collapse,’ he said, without further explanation.
The propagandist said Russian cities were at risk directly as a result of the US decision from 2025 to station SM-6, Tomahawk and ‘hypersonic weapons under development’.
‘The Pentagon will deploy missiles in Germany that pose a direct threat to Russia, reaching St Petersburg, Kazan, Moscow, Novosibirsk and Yekaterinburg,’ he said, listing major Russian cities.
But he threatened: ‘It is not difficult to guess the geography of the response if White House [plans] become a reality.
‘All European capitals are at risk [from] our missiles in Kaliningrad – Berlin, Warsaw, all the Baltic republics, Paris, Bucharest, Prague…
‘Of course, also the American bases in Germany… Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Patch Barracks [Stuttgart], Spangdahlem, [and] Ramstein.’
He accused the ‘Western bloc’ of misreading the impact on Russia of the US move, highlighted at the recent NATO summit in the US.
‘No reaction, no reflection and no attempt to analyse the implications,’ he said.
Yevgeny Popov raged against American plans to deploy SM-6 surface-to-air and Tomahawk cruise missiles in his latest attack on NATO
The Clyde in Scotland, where the Trident nuclear deterrent is stored, was named as one of the potential targets
‘A quick study of the missiles’ specifications is enough to realise that the US is throwing Europe into the crucible of a world war with guaranteed mutual destruction.’
It comes after Russia warned that Europe’s capital cities ‘are the potential victims’ if the US deploys long-range missiles on the continent, following an announcement by the US and Germany that they will begin distributing projectiles by 2026.
In a video published by a Russian state television reporter on Saturday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia has the means to deter US deployments of long-range missiles in Europe.
Asked by reporter Pavel Zarubin about the possibility of the United States deploying hypersonic missiles to Europe, Peskov said: ‘We have enough potential to deter these missiles. But the capitals of these (European) states are potential victims.’
Russia on Thursday said that it would act to counter the planned US deployment of long-range missiles in Germany, as it regarded the NATO military alliance’s actions as a serious threat to Russia’s national security.
At a briefing with Russian news agencies about the outcome of the NATO summit which took place in Washington on Wednesday, Peskov said: ‘The North Atlantic alliance has once again very clearly confirmed its essence.
This file handout image obtained from the US Navy and taken on September 20, 2016 shows a Tomahawk Missile being launched from the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Stethem
‘It is an alliance created in an era of confrontation with the aim of maintaining confrontation.
‘Tensions on the European continent are escalating’ as a result, he added, saying the Kremlin was watching as NATO’s military infrastructure crept closer.
The US and Germany had announced at the NATO summit that they would begin deploying long-range fire capabilities in Germany in 2026 to show their commitment to European defence as Russia continues to wage its war against Ukraine.
They said the ‘episodic deployments’ were in preparation for longer-term stationing that would include SM-6, Tomahawk cruise missiles and hypersonic weapons with a longer range than current capabilities in Europe.