UK warns defense companies of threat from Russia

According to Ukrinform, the Daily Mail stated this in an article.

"Bosses of Britain's defence firms which supply weapons to Ukraine have been warned they are at risk of being targeted by Russian spies," the report said.

Companies were briefed on the heightened threats they and their employees face from the Kremlin during a roundtable between senior government officials and chief executives held earlier this summer.

A source cited by the newspaper did not confirm which executives attended the meeting, but they are believed to include companies supplying weapons and drones to Ukraine.

The report says that one of the Kremlin's key targets is the British-Ukrainian company Ukrspecsystems, which manufactures drones near RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk.

Callen-Lenz, a BAE Systems-owned company that supplies drones used to strike Russian oil refineries, as well as defense consortium MBDA, which manufactures Storm Shadow cruise missiles, are also under heightened surveillance.

Concerns among British intelligence agencies increased after Germany thwarted assassination attempts targeting executives of two major defense companies.

In particular, Russian agents were reportedly planning to assassinate Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall, which signed a GBP 4.2 billion contract to supply ammunition to Ukraine.

"Russia is signalling that everybody who is involved in the defence enterprise is now considered a legitimate target for the Russians," said Elisabeth Braw, a security expert at the Atlantic Council think tank.

As Ukrinform reported, following renewed Russian threats against the UK over its transfer of drones to Ukraine, London said it would continue supplying weapons to Kyiv so that it could defend itself.