Russia has sent a chilling warning saying that UK tanks being sent to Ukraine will "burn" on the battlefield.
"The special military operation will continue. These tanks are burning and will burn," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
The remarks followed the news that the British government would be sending a squadron of Challenger 2 tanks, in a move which made it the first Western power to supply Ukraine with main battle tanks.
Mr Peskov said: "They [UK] are using this country [Ukraine] as a tool to achieve their anti-Russian goals. These tanks are burning and will burn just like the rest."
In unfounded claims, he said the supply of tanks from "countries like Britain and Poland" would not impact the situation on the ground and would only bring "more troubles" on Ukraine.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the tanks were "the most significant package of combat to date to accelerate Ukrainian success."
A spokesperson for the British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said :“The prime minister and President Zelensky welcomed other international commitments in this vein, including Poland’s offer to provide a company of Leopard tanks.
"The prime minister stressed that he and the whole UK government would be working intensively with international partners to deliver rapidly the kind of support which will allow Ukraine to press their advantage, win this war and secure a lasting peace.
“The leaders reflected on the current state of Russia’s war in Ukraine, with successive Ukrainian victories pushing Russian troops back and compounding their military and morale issues.
"They agreed on the need to seize on this moment with an acceleration of global military and diplomatic support to Ukraine.”
Despite continued heavy losses, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview on Sunday that the so-called military operation in Ukraine had gained positive momentum and that he hoped his soldiers would deliver more wins.
Vladimir Solovyev, a pro-Kremlin presenter on Rossiya 1 state television, said following the news of the tanks: "De-facto, Britain has entered the war. I consider Britain is now a legitimate target for us."
Lawmaker Andrei Gurulyev also claimed Russia could easily wipe out the UK.
"If there is no London, then we would have victory. On Britain, I said six months ago that it should be wiped from the face of the earth," he said.
More than 7,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since Russia invaded its neighbour last February, the Office of the UN high commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said on Monday.
