Is Russia hinting at World War III? UK asks its people to stock food and water as Putin warns of strikes on Britain; CIA chief secretly flies to Moscow amid Kremlin threats

Britain is telling households to prepare for national emergencies, including keeping food and bottled water at home. Moscow has now gone further, warning that British military targets could be struck in response to Ukraine's use of British-made missiles. And in the middle of the escalating rhetoric, CIA Director John Ratcliffe has made a rare, unannounced journey to Moscow.

The developments do not establish that a wider war or World War III is imminent. But taken together, they show how a conflict that began with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine is producing increasingly direct pressure on the countries supporting Kyiv. Britain's military backing is becoming a particular target of Moscow's warnings, while Washington appears to be trying to prevent the confrontation from spilling into a direct Russia-NATO clash.

Why is Britain telling people to keep food and water?

The first piece of the puzzle appeared on Tuesday, when the British government said it would launch a new campaign encouraging households to prepare for major emergencies.

People will be advised to keep basic supplies such as tinned food and bottled water and to learn simple steps that could help them cope during a crisis. The stated purpose is resilience: if most households can manage the first stages of an emergency themselves, government agencies and emergency services can concentrate their resources on people who are most vulnerable.

The campaign is not specifically a war-preparation programme. Its scope includes extreme weather, flooding, cyberattacks and possible attacks by hostile states. However, Britain's planning has also been expanded to consider what would happen if a hostile state launched a military attack affecting the country. Work has been under way on the so-called “war book”, a contingency plan for the consequences of international conflict on Britain.

That planning comes after a summer in which Britain has faced extreme heat, drought and wildfires, while the government has also dealt with cyber threats. A recent cyberattack blamed on hackers linked to Iran temporarily disrupted a small British power generator, although officials said the wider electricity system was never at risk.

Moscow's warning to Britain has now become more direct

On August 24, Prime Minister Andy Burnham travelled to Kyiv for his first foreign visit since taking office and pledged that Britain would continue supporting Ukraine despite what he called Russia's “outrageous threats.”

During the visit, London announced that Ukraine would receive access to previously classified technical information about British-made components used in the Storm Shadow/SCALP long-range cruise missile. The move is intended to help Kyiv develop its own production capability for the weapon. France has also agreed to license technology for the European missile.

The significance is considerable. Ukraine is not simply receiving another shipment of finished missiles; it is being given technical information that could eventually help it manufacture long-range weapons domestically. That process would take years, but it potentially gives Kyiv greater independence from foreign supplies.

Russia responded angrily. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov accused Britain of adding “fuel to the fire” and said its actions were obstructing efforts toward a peace settlement.

Then, on Thursday, the warning became considerably more explicit. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Moscow could strike British military installations and equipment inside and outside Ukraine in response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory using British weapons. She said Britain was approaching what Moscow would regard as legal complicity in attacks on Russian civilians and warned of “catastrophic consequences” unless London changed course.

The immediate trigger was Russia's accusation that Ukraine had used British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles against targets in Russian-controlled Donetsk, including a shopping centre where Moscow said civilians, including children, were injured.

Then a US military plane quietly flew into Moscow

Against this increasingly hostile backdrop came one of the strangest developments of the week. A large US military C-17 transport aircraft flew to Moscow on Tuesday, landing at Vnukovo airport before leaving later that day. Videos shared online appeared to capture footage seemingly showing a diplomatic convoy travelling through Moscow, adding to speculation over who was aboard and the purpose of the visit.

It was eventually confirmed that CIA Director John Ratcliffe was in Moscow and had held talks with Russian intelligence officials.

The unusual movement first came to light through flight-tracking data, which showed a US military C-17 making an unexpected journey into Russia on Tuesday. The aircraft flew from the United States via Latvia before reaching Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport, then left Russia several hours later.

FlightRadar24 records indicate that the plane took off from Riga at about 05:50 GMT, reached Moscow around 07:04 GMT, and returned to Riga shortly before 17:00 GMT, according to BBC.

The trip was highly unusual. Direct, high-level contact between US and Russian officials has become rare since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

According to reports cited by The Guardian and other US media, Ratcliffe's mission may have included warning Moscow against escalating against NATO members, particularly the Baltic states. Those reports are based on people familiar with the discussions and have not been fully confirmed by either government.