Russia warns of countermeasures if Japan

The Russian foreign ministry has warned of possible countermeasures against Japan if PAC-3 interceptor missiles produced in the country are brought to Ukraine.

Japan's defense ministry struck a deal in July to transfer the land-based missiles to the United States, which has a shortage of interceptors due to its support for Ukraine.

Russian foreign ministry deputy spokesperson Andrey Nastasyin expressed skepticism about the deal at a news briefing on Wednesday. He said the missiles could end up in Ukraine.

He warned that Moscow would regard Tokyo as being hostile to Russia if Japanese missiles are transferred to the Ukrainian army.

Nastasyin added that Russia reserves the right to take the most resolute countermeasures, including in the context of its bilateral relations with Japan. But he did not say what kind of concrete action might be taken.

Ukraine is aiming to strengthen its air defenses in the face of continued Russian drone strikes.

From Tuesday night through Wednesday morning, Russia carried out what appeared to be its largest ever drone strike on Ukraine, targeting the capital Kyiv and other locations.

(責任編輯：Leisure)