Former Russian President and close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, warned today that Moscow will regard any move by Britain to deploy a military mission in Ukraine as a declaration of war against Russia.

Medvedev, who is now vice president of Russia’s Security Council, made this comment in response to British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s visit to Kyiv during which he announced an increase in military funding to help Ukraine buy new military drones.

“I hope our eternal enemies – the proud British – understand that the deployment of an official military mission in Ukraine would be a declaration of war against our country”wrote o Medvedev in his Telegram post.

Medvedev, whose frequent and harsh public statements constitute a indication of hawkish thinking in the Kremlinwas also asked how the Western public would feel if Sunak’s delegation came under cluster munition fire in central Kiev, which recently happened to Russian civilians in the city of Belgorod.

Belgorod which is located in southern Russia, near the Ukrainian border, has been hit by missiles and drones in recent months.

In the December 30 incident Menvedev referred to, at least 20 people were killed, including two children, and 11 were injured, Russia said, describing it as an “indiscriminate” Ukrainian raid that used cluster munitions.

Ukrainian media RBC-Ukraine, citing anonymous sources, reported that Ukrainian forces hit military targets in Belgorod in response to massive Russian shelling the previous day.

Medvedev emerged as a liberal modernizer when he was president period 2008-2012but now it shows up as one of the Kremlin’s fiercest anti-West hawks.