Medvedev: UK Politicians a Legitimate Military Target

British politicians are a legitimate military target for the Kremlin, Russian Security Council deputy chair Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday after the U.K. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly stated that Ukraine has the right to use force within the borders of Russia, Politico reported.

Medvedev, a former president of Russia, wrote on Twitter that Great Britain "acts as Ukraine's ally providing it with military aid in the form of equipment and specialists, i.e., de facto is leading an undeclared war against Russia. That being the case, any of its public officials (either military, or civil, who facilitate the war) can be considered as a legitimate military target."

In the aftermath of drone strikes that hit Moscow's wealthiest neighborhoods, Cleverly said that Ukraine "has a right" to use force "beyond its own borders" as part of its self-defense, according to Politico. The foreign secretary contended that Kyiv attacking inside Russia would "undermine" Moscow's ability to continue its war in Ukraine, which has officially denied responsibility for the drone strikes.

Medvedev, who has also called for the killing of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, warned in his Twitter message that "the goofy officials of the U.K., our eternal enemy, should remember that within the framework of the universally accepted international law which regulates modern warfare, including the Hague and Geneva Conventions with their additional protocols, their state can also be qualified as being at war."

The United States does not appear to share the U.K.'s view of the situation, Politico reported.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a briefing on Tuesday that the U.S. was continuing to collect information on the reports of drones hitting Moscow, but made clear that "we do not support attacks inside of Russia. That's it. Period."

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