DISINFO: UK intelligence agencies purposefully escalate international political-military situation to harm Russia
SUMMARY
The Russian FSB has obtained documents confirming that London is coordinating the escalation of the international military-political situation.
These documents indicate that in the UK, the leading unit coordinating the subversive policies in the Russian direction (and in post-USSR countries) is the Directorate of Eastern Europe and Central Asia of the British Foreign Office. After the start of the Special Military Operation, it was transformed into a special service whose main task is to inflict a strategic defeat on our country.
RESPONSE
The statement was made ahead of a meeting of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer with US President Joe Biden for talks on the next steps in supporting Ukraine, centering on whether to allow Western missiles to be used to hit targets in Russia.
No evidence is provided to back the claim. Allegations made by Russia’s intelligence services cannot be considered as such, given their proven history of making unsubstantiated claims based on faked or non-existent documents, for example about US biolaboratories in Ukraine or the presence of French combat troops on the Ukrainian frontlines.
The mentioned documentary materials have not been publicly released, and even if some documents eventually emerge they may be forgeries, as the core allegation of this disinformation story appears implausible and seems tailored to fit a key pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Western powers attempting to destabilise Russia and other countries through subversive ‘colour revolutions’.
This disinformation story also appeared the same day when Russia expelled six British diplomats based in Moscow after accusing them of espionage and sabotage, “subversive work” and contacts with “foreign agents”, so it could be an attempt to legitimise this expulsion.
Falsely vilifying Anglo-Saxons has deep roots in the Russian political sphere. Russian political historiography considers the UK to be Russia's main enemy. A concept frequently evoked in Russian political discourse is ”Англичанка гадит”(Anglichanka gadit) – "the English witch befouls."
The Russian Institute of International and Economic Strategies Russtrat called the UK "a historical enemy of Russia, which has been waging an undeclared war against the Russian Federation for 500 years."
Read our article "The Kremlin’s Chronic Case of Anglophobia."
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that the UK is actively engaged in covert Ukrainian military operations, that UK wants to open a new anti-Russia front in Central Asia, that Anglo-American spies try to destabilise Central Asia using Al-Qaeda and ISIS, or that Anglo-Saxons organised the Crocus attacks to ruin Russia’s relations with Central Asian countries.