Prince William has been targeted in a threatening online statement by a high-ranking Russian official. Dmitry Rogozin, who leads a specialist military drone unit, ominously warned of potential drone strikes if the Prince of Wales "gets into our sights".
In his message, Rogozin stated: "This is a great target for my drone pilots."
Accompanying an image of William taken during his recent military exercises in Estonia, he further added: "We haven't yet zeroed out the heir to the throne, let alone the traditionally hostile Great Britain. Let him do some PR for now, but if he gets into our sights, we won't stand on ceremony."
Dmitry, a former deputy premier under Putin and ex-head of the Russian Space Agency, currently leads a specialist military drone unit and serves as a Kremlin-appointed senator for part of Zaporizhzhia, a territory in Ukraine that has been illegally invaded and annexed.
During his tenure with Putin and as the head of the Russian Space Agency, he oversaw the testing of the 15,880mph Satan-2, also known as Sarmat, the Kremlin's largest hypersonic nuclear rocket, which is the size of a 14-storey tower block and weighs 208 tons, reports the Express.
Earlier this week, Dmitry called for new volunteers for his military unit, a move that seems to quash any hopes of an imminent end to the conflict with Russia.
He declared: "The whole war is still ahead. We need motivated and well-trained volunteers in the profile of our combat activities."
The latest menacing message from Dmitry is one among several from Vladimir Putin's hawks in response to Prince William's tank ride. Aleksei Zhivov, a Russian military volunteer and political analyst, posted on the war Telegram channel Bati chitayut novosti: "He will be sorely missed in a real burning tank.
"Britain's heir to the throne, Prince William, made a trip to Estonia to take a ride in a tank near the Russian border. That's quite a direct message from the Royal Family to Moscow. William also mentioned that he was there to show support for Estonia, which is 'dangerously close to Russia'. Well then, I suggest the Royal Family help move Estonia somewhere safer - Wales or Ireland, perhaps?
"And just a reminder - Britain's not exactly far from Russia either. About 20 minutes by air, give or take [with a Putin missile]."
