The UK could send British troops to Ukraine to help train its soldiers, in a move that is likely to infuriate the Kremlin.
Defence Secretary John Healey has met Ukrainian officials in Kyiv to discuss plans on how to boost military support for Volodymyr Zelensky’s army for next year.
Although he declined to elaborate on those plans, sources have told the BBC that sending British troops to the war-torn country not to fight but to help with training has not been ruled out.
Britain has helped train Ukrainian troops in the UK since the outbreak of the war in 2022.
Additionally, a small team of British Army medics has provided training inside Ukraine.
Sending NATO boots to the ground has long been seen as a red line by the Kremlin, and could drag the military alliance into a war with Russia. But the British troops, if the UK government decided to send them at all, would not be fighting against Russian troops.
Nevertheless, Moscow would likely be incensed by the move.
The Defence Secretary travelled to Ukraine promising an additional £225m of military support.
The new aid package will go towards purchasing drones, artillery shells and air defence systems.
In total the UK has committed £12.8 billion for Ukraine – £7.8 billion has gone on military support, with the remaining £5 billion ear marked for non-military schemes.
Moreover in July, the government pledged to provide £3 billion a year in military aid until 2030 to 2031 and for as long as it takes.
The Times alleged that Kirillov “would have been responsible for numerous documented chemical attacks on Ukrainian forces in the field”.
The editorial provoked a furious reaction from former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, a close Putin ally, who claimed the editors were themselves now “legitimate military targets”.
“And they, too, are now legitimate military targets. These may include the lousy jackals from The Times, who cowardly hid behind an editorial. Meaning, the publication’s entire management team,” Medvedev ranted in a post on Telegram.
