A Russian MP has claimed Britain could be plotting to assassinate Vladimir Putin, as Kremlin polling shows the UK is now seen as more hostile than Ukraine.
The remarks were made in Moscow, where State Duma member Andrey Kolesnik said it was "quite possible" for the British to target the Russian president's aircraft.
Kolesnik said: "The British could quite calmly shoot down Putin's plane."
He added: "The Englishwoman is always plotting," using a well-known Russian phrase about Britain’s alleged duplicitous nature.
A Kremlin-backed poll found 42 per cent of Russians now consider the UK a hostile nation.
That puts Britain ahead of Ukraine at 38 per cent and the United States at 27 per cent.
France topped the list with 48 per cent.
China was named Russia’s closest ally by 65 per cent of respondents.
Belarus came second with 41 per cent.
The claims come against a backdrop of heightened tension between London and Moscow, particularly after the UK accused Russia of poisoning former spy Sergei Skripal in Salisbury in 2018.
British officials at the time said Putin likely authorised the assassination attempt.
More recently, UK Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin dismissed the idea of targeting Putin as "wishful thinking."
He insisted the real threat remained Russia itself.
Kolesnik’s claim was published by the Russian outlet Life, which echoed the idea of British involvement in attacks on Russian leadership.
The phrase he used, "anglichanka gadit," is a common Russian idiom dating back to imperial times and often used to describe suspicion of British interference.
(MJ Leidig/newsX)