Russia has warned Ukraine not to use Western-supplied missiles against Crimea.
Sergei Shoigu has warned Ukraine against using Western missiles
Defence minister Sergei Shoigu has suggested that the potential use of the US HIMARS and British Storm Shadow missiles in the Russian-occupied peninsula would mark the West's "full involvement in the conflict".
Shoigu also warned that attacks on Crimea would lead to "immediate strikes" on Ukrainian "decision-making centres", including the nation's presidential administration and intelligence headquarters.
The Kremlin minister has claimed without evidence that Kyiv is preparing a strike against Crimea using the American and British weapons.
Shoigu said in a meeting with military officials: "The leadership of Ukraine's armed forces plans to strike Russian territory, including Crimea, with HIMARS and Storm Shadow missiles.
"The use of these missiles outside the zone of the special military operation will mean the United States and Great Britain's full involvement in the conflict and will entail immediate strikes on decision-making centres in Ukraine."
Ukraine has denounced the Russian scare tactics and is determined to regain control of all its land occupied by Moscow - including Crimea.
Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the Ukrainian presidential administration, said: "It is important that the presence or absence of nuclear weapons in Russia is not a variable that affects the overall equation of this war, and nuclear threats should not in any way influence the decision of Ukrainians or the decision of our allies to support us."