- The British government has accused Russia of exerting massive political influence in Ukraine.
- The Russian Foreign Ministry then asked Britain to “stop spreading nonsense”.
- The Foreign Ministry in London has received confidential statements that Moscow is trying to establish a pro-Russian leadership in Ukraine.
The British government has warned the Kremlin that Moscow wants to exercise massive political influence in Ukraine. “We have information that suggests the Russian government is attempting to establish a pro-Russian leadership in Kyiv while it considers invading and occupying Ukraine,” the government said in a statement on Saturday night British Foreign Office. However, experts believe that Moscow is unlikely to invade Kiev.
Sharp reaction from Moscow
The spread of this “disinformation” by the British media is once again proof that “the NATO countries in particular are aggravating the situation around Ukraine,” according to the Russian Foreign Ministry. The British Foreign Office was asked to “stop spreading nonsense,” Tass agency learned from an unnamed source in the Foreign Office.
The British side has named former Ukrainian MP Yevgeny Murayev as a possible candidate for the leadership position in the government in Kiev. However, the candidate named by London as a potential Moscow governor has been on a Russian sanctions list since 2018.
Murayev told the Sunday newspaper The Observer that the British Foreign Office seemed “confused”. “It’s not particularly logical. I am banned from Russia.” In addition, money was confiscated from his father’s company there.
The United States also expressed concern
The US commented on these allegations from London as a “deeply worrying conspiracy”. Washington in particular fears an invasion of the neighboring country given the high Russian troop presence on the border with Ukraine. Moscow rejects this almost every day. Britain had already sent light anti-tank weapons to Ukraine, drawing criticism from the Kremlin.
The British Foreign Office said it also had information that other ex-Ukrainian politicians, named by name, were in contact with the Russian secret services, the UK said. Some are said to be in contact with security officials who are “involved in planning an attack on Ukraine.”
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss called on Moscow to “end its campaigns of aggression and disinformation and pursue a path of diplomacy.” Any military invasion of Ukraine would be a “massive strategic mistake with serious costs,” said the minister.