The blue-chip FTSE 100 (.FTSE) slipped 0.4%, hitting a three month low as the aerospace and defence sector (.FTNMX502010) lost 2.1% after fighters of the Wagner group attempted a mutiny in Russia over the weekend.
"Defence stocks tend to benefit from bad news in terms of geopolitical tensions," said Christopher Peters, trading floor manager at Accendo Markets.
Britain's biggest defence company BAE Systems (BAES.L) slumped 3.1%, dropping to the bottom of the FTSE 100.
The more domestically-focussed FTSE 250 midcap index (.FTMC) also fell 0.5%, touching a three-month low.
Among individual stocks, Cineworld Group (CINE.L) dropped 28.9% after the cinema chain operator said it will file for administration as part of a proposed restructuring plan.
Persons:
Russia Cineworld, Aston Martin, carmaker Aston Martin, Wagner, Christopher Peters, JP Morgan, Shashwat Chauhan, Sherry Jacob, Phillips
Organizations:
Defence, U.S, EV, Lucid, carmaker, Accendo, BAE Systems, Lloyds, Bank of England, Bank for International, Cineworld, Thomson
Locations:
Russia, Bengaluru