UK defence minister was minutes away from Russia’s nuclear-capable missile strike – Firstpost

British Defence Secretary John Healey was last week minutes away from the place struck by Russia with its nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile in Ukriane’s Lviv.

A source told The Sun that Healey had a “close shave” near Lviv on Thursday. Healey confirmed to the newspaper that he had to make an emergency stop.

Russia on Thursday attacked Ukraine’s Lviv with Oreshnik. The Russian defence ministry noted the strike was a response to an alleged Ukrainian attack on one of President Vladimir Putin's residences last month. Both the Ukrainian and American governments have mentioned that Ukraine did not carry out such an attack.

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Highlighting how close they were to the attacks, Healey noted that “we were close enough to hear the air raid sirens”.

Healey remarked, “It was a serious moment and a stark reminder of the barrage of drones and missiles hitting Ukrainians in sub-zero conditions. We won’t stand for this and are determined to put leading edge weapons into the hands of Ukrainians as they fight back.”

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During his visit to Ukraine, Healey on Friday announced that the United Kingdom will spend £200 million to prepare soldiers for deployment to Ukraine as part of a multinational force to uphold the ceasefire with Russia in case of a negotiated end of the war. The funds will be spent on upgrading vehicles and communications systems, counter-drone protection, and other equipment to ensure troops are ready to deploy.

Earlier this month, British and French governments signed a deal with Ukraine to pledge troops to a multinational force to enforce a ceasefire reached with a negotiated end of the war.

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“We are surging investment into our preparations following the Prime Minister’s announcement this week, ensuring that Britain’s armed forces are ready to deploy, and lead, the Multinational Force Ukraine, because a secure Ukraine means a secure UK,” mentioned Healey at the time, as per The Independent.

TagsRussia Russia-Ukraine war Ukraine United KingdomHomeWorldUK defence minister was minutes away from Russia’s nuclear-capable missile strikeEnd of Article