A top aide to Vladimir Putin has issued the strongest threat yet against British military targets following Andy Burnham’s trip to Ukraine.

The prime minister gave Kyiv the blueprints to build long-range cruise missiles on Monday, a move which has infuriated Moscow.

Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told a news briefing on Thursday that the UK was “one step away” from becoming legally complicit in supposed “terrorism” against Russian civilians.

She claimed this would have “catastrophic consequences” for the UK unless the Burnham government altered its course.

Zakharova said: “We have repeatedly warned that any British military installations and equipment in Ukraine and beyond its borders could be targeted in response to Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory carried out using British weapons.

“We propose that the British leadership once again carefully analyse the situation and immediately, in the most resolute and unequivocal manner, abandon the hostile, aggressive line, which can only…create the risk of the conflict escalating to an entirely new level.”

Her words come after a flurry of warnings from the Kremlin over the UK’s ongoing support for Ukraine.

When it was confirmed that British drones had been used by Ukraine to target sites deep within Russia last week, Putin’s embassy in London warned the UK would face “consequences”.

Russia accused Ukraine of firing British Storm Shadow missiles at a shopping centre in the occupied Ukrainian city of Donetsk on Wednesday, too.

The Kremlin alleged that the UK was adding “fuel to the fire” of the Ukraine conflict after Burnham granted Kyiv the ability to build its own Shadow Storm missiles.

But the prime minister seemed unperturbed by the threats, telling reporters: “Who started the fire?”

However, there are fears that Burnham’s strong moves may elicit more of an aggressive response from Russia.

Since invading Ukraine in 2022, Putin has avoided engaging in direct conflict with Ukraine’s Nato allies, like Britain.

But the director of the CIA made a surprise trip to Moscow this week and allegedly tried to warn Putin against launching an attack on the defence alliance.

While Donald Trump described the meeting as “semi-routine”, the Wall Street Journal and CBS News reported that John Ratcliffe was trying to stop Russia from testing Nato.

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