PEACE campaigners called for de-escalation and negotiations to avoid catastrophic escalation of the Ukraine war yesterday, after the Russian embassy warned of “consequences” for the use of British-made drones in recent strikes inside Russia.

A series of Ukrainian strikes within Russia, including residential homes and warehouses of online retailer Wildberries, have hit their targets in recent weeks.

Russia’s London embassy said Britain was deliberately seeking to escalate the war — adding “the deeper its involvement in the conflict… the higher the price it will pay.”

Its warning follows Russian President Vladimir Putin saying last week that Russia would take reciprocal action against shipping from countries which have seized Russian cargo vessels on the high seas, which include Britain and France.

Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament general secretary Sophie Bolt told the Morning Star that the “British government directly supplying long-range drones used in… attacks on Russia which have resulted in civilian casualties, including children,” was part of a “reckless strategy of escalation which is making the conflict far more dangerous.

“The scale and intensity of the war is once again raising the threat of nuclear confrontation.”

And Stop the War Coalition national officer Chris Nineham said: “Given how much the military and arms lobby and the ministers who take their lead have been talking up the Russian threat to the UK, while ever increasing their commitment to arming Ukraine, perhaps a period of reflection on the urgent need for negotiations to end the conflict rather than ramping up the war-footing rhetoric further is now needed.”

“The peace movement has long warned of the dangers posed by the British government’s aggressive embrace of militarism,” Communist Party international secretary Kevan Nelson said.

“The aiding and abetting of Ukraine’s remote attacks on civilian and economic targets in Russia is not immune from retaliation. A peaceful resolution to the conflict is required — not the current war games mentality that risks large scale loss of life.”

Former US president Joe Biden originally forbade Ukraine permission to strike Russia with US-supplied missiles, fearing it could trigger a third world war, but lifted the ban in November 2024.