MOSCOW, July 7. /TASS/. Taking to his Telegram channel on Thursday, a senior Russian legislator cautioned European leaders to think about the consequences of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s policies and excoriated the outgoing British premier.

"Boris Johnson is behind the shelling of our peaceful cities - Belgorod and Kursk. UK citizens should be aware of this," State Duma (the lower house of the Russian Parliament) Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin stated on social media.

"He [Johnson] is one of the key ideologists of waging this war against Russia down to the very last Ukrainian," the lawmaker emphasized.

"European leaders need to reflect on where this sort of policy may lead to," Volodin advised.

"The clown is on his way out. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a close friend and patron of [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky, is forced to resign from his post. He failed to hold on to [his post] despite all of his previous efforts and vain attempts," Russia’s senior lawmaker maintained.

UK media outlets reported earlier on Thursday that Johnson was going to step down in the coming hours. Downing Street sources confirmed to Sky News that the embattled prime minister would address the nation later in the day.

He officially announced his resignation later on during the day.