Russia has branded Defence Secretary John Healey a "pervert" after he said he would kidnap Vladimir Putin and bring him to justice.
Mr Healey spoke to journalists during a visit to Kyiv where he said he would be prepared to "take Putin into custody and hold him [to] account".
The Defence Secretary said Mr Putin's war crimes include the kidnapping of “some of the Ukrainian kids that I met in Irpin” and “what I saw in Bucha on one of my first visits to Ukraine”.
Bucha, a suburb to the northwest of Kyiv, has become synonymous with Russian horrors after mass graves were uncovered in the town in April 2022 following its liberation by Ukrainian forces.
TRENDING
Stories
Videos
Your Say
His comments sparked a furious backlash from the Kremlin Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, who lambasted Mr Healey as a "pervert".
She went on to say that Britain was drawn to Ukraine “like villains to the scene of their crime”.
Ms Zakharova, who has been a long time critic of Britain's involvement in the conflict, said: “How can we help this strange politician so that he doesn’t completely lose his mind?
"Nothing can help him any more, except for sincere repentance and humble contrition.”
Mr Healey said he would be prepared to 'take Putin into custody and hold him [to] account'
|GETTY
The Defence Secretary's comments came after he was asked by a reporter about the Americans' daring Operation Absolute Resolve, which led to the capture of ex-Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro.
The Kremlin said a hypothetical operation carried out by the UK on Mr Putin was the “wet dreams of British perverts”.
The Russian leader has an active arrest warrant against him from the International Criminal Court (ICC) over accusations of unlawfully deporting Ukrainian children to his country.
The warrant means that Mr Putin would face arrest if he were to step foot in any of the 125 ICC member states.
RUSSIA - READ THE LATEST:
Kremlin spokeswoman Maria Zakharova lambasted Mr Healey as a 'pervert'
|GETTY
The Defence Secretary revealed that during his trip to the Ukrainian capital, his train was forced to stop after Russia attacked the western city of Lviv with an Oreshnik missile - capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.
Ms Zakharova said the strikes, which left four civilians dead, would serve as a warning to Western politicians visiting Ukraine to show support.
Mr Healey said the attack “tells you all you need to know about Putin and his determination not just to wage a war on Ukraine, but to target civilians, cities, the infrastructure that people absolutely critically depend on in the middle of winter”.
While the Defence Secretary was on the visit, he announced that the Government had allocated £200million of funding to prepare the Armed Forces to deploy as part of the Multinational Force for Ukraine (MNFU).
The Defence Secretary announced the Government had allocated £200million of funding to prepare the Armed Forces to deploy to Ukraine
|GETTY
He confirmed he had discussed further details of the MNFU plans with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on his trip.
Mr Healey said: "As we approach the fifth year of Putin’s full-scale invasion, the Ukrainians continue to fight with huge courage - civilians and military alike.
"We are surging investment into our preparations following the Prime Minister’s announcement this week, ensuring that Britain’s Armed Forces are ready to deploy, and lead, the Multinational Force Ukraine, because a secure Ukraine means a secure UK.
"As we look towards a potential peace deal, we continue to step up for Ukraine in the fight today - strengthening its air defences while backing British industry, jobs and innovation at home."
Our Standards:
The GB News Editorial Charter
More From GB News