Ukraine can attack Russian logistics under international law: UK defence secretary

UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said on Thursday it would be legitimate for Ukrainian forces to target Russian logistics but they were unlikely to use British weapons.

Moscow has accused London of provoking Ukraine to strike targets in Russia, saying there would be an immediate "proportional response" if it continued.

"If Ukraine did choose to target logistics infrastructure for the Russian army, that would be legitimate under international law," Wallace told BBC TV.

He said any long-range weapons were unlikely to come from Britain however, because Ukrainian forces tend to use mobile launchers while the British army would deliver them from the air or sea.

"It is certainly the case that Britain is assisting and finding artillery for Ukraine, which it is mainly using within Ukraine on Russian forces," he said.

"You can see in his current statements he is, in almost desperation, trying to broaden this either with threats or indeed, with potential false flags or attacks," he said.