FIGHTING TALK
Russia warns ‘Britain is too deep’ in Ukraine & claims it will share proof UK linked to drone strike on Black Sea fleet
RUSSIA has warned Britain is "too deep" in the Ukraine war after accusing the UK of guiding a strike on Vladimir Putin's warships.
Diplomat Andrei Kelin has claimed he has "evidence" the Royal Navy directed a drone attack on the port of Sevastopol in occupied Crimea, which is home to its Black Sea fleet.
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He warned that it risks a "dangerous" escalation of the crisis and said he had passed the "proof" onto his UK counterpart - claiming it will be published "soon".
Mr Kelin told : "We perfectly know about (the) participation of British specialists in (the)training, preparation and execution of violence against the Russian infrastructure and the Russian fleet in the Black Sea."
The Russian ambassador to the UK warned the situation "is becoming more and more dangerous" as he claimed the UK "is too deep in this conflict".
He added: "It is dangerous because it escalates the situation.
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"It can bring us up to the line of I would say no return, return is always possible.
"But anyway, we should avoid escalation."
Britain's ambassador to Moscow Deborah Bronnert was earlier summoned to the Russian foreign ministry in connection with the claims.
At the weekend three Russian warships were reportedly damaged, including the flagship HMS Makarov in a major drone attack on Sevastopol.
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Footage shows an explosion lighting up the night sky and a helicopter destroying what was thought to be an underwater kamikaze drone.
Moscow claimed a team of "British specialists" directed the strike, which it said was largely repelled by Russian forces, with minor damage to a Russian minesweeper.
Russia's defence ministry also wildly accused the UK of blowing up the Nord Stream gas pipelines - which Mr Kelin said Russia was also continuing to investigate.
But the attacks on pipelines at the end of September are widely believed to have been carried out by Russia.
The UK's Ministry of Defence has insisted allegations are false and "designed to distract from Russian military failures in Ukraine".
A government spokesman said: "We do not plan to give a running commentary on these allegations; it is no secret that the United Kingdom has taken a public lead in our support to Ukraine - this has been enduring since Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014."
It comes as humiliated Putin continues to suffer major setbacks in Ukraine after arrogantly believing he could sweep in and take the country within days.
Ukraine on Sunday claimed Russia had suffered its deadliest day yet on the frontline after almost 1,000 soldiers were killed in just 24 hours.
It takes the total number of slaughtered Russian soldiers up to 71,200.
Kyiv also claimed to have successfully obliterated 52 armoured personnel vehicles, 13 tanks and one cruise missile on the same day.
Last month, the Russian President announced the partial mobilisation of his country, calling up at least 300,000 men.
Putin then said he would happily sacrifice 20 million soldiers to ensure he could win in Ukraine and secure his future in the Kremlin.
And he is now resorting to desperate measures to try and keep a victory within his grasp.
Russia has continued its brutal bombing campaign across Ukraine this week, targeting Kyiv and other key cities, while cutting off power across the country.
Meanwhile, Putin's troops appear to be fleeing the key Ukrainian city of Kherson in their thousands after being warned to "retreat or die".
A Russian flag was removed from an administrative building while troops have been sent fleeing over the Dnipro river - in a major blow to Putin's already shambolic invasion.
The Russian flag was removed in the occupied city this morning, signalling a retreat by Putin's forces.
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The image was shared by a pro-Kremlin Telegram channel with the caption: "I drove up to the building of the former government of the Kherson region; I confirm that there is no [Russian] flag over it."
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However, the reporter who shared the image claimed the flags on other nearby buildings still remained.
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