Allegations about Moscow's desire to bring a “pro-Russian” leader to power in Kiev were associated with Johnson's domestic political difficulties
The Russian Foreign Ministry characterized the statement of the British Foreign Office about the Kremlin's plans to bring a “pro-Russian” leader” as misinformation. On Smolenskaya Square, they called the “revelations” of the Foreign Office another evidence that it is the NATO countries, led by the “Anglo-Saxons”, that contribute to the escalation of tension around Ukraine.
Photo: Gennady Cherkasov
The British Foreign Office has accused the Russian intelligence services of planning to bring a “pro-Russian leader” to power in Ukraine – ex-deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Yevgeny Muraev was named as such in London.
The British side also mentioned several more former high-ranking representatives Ukrainian authorities, including former Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, in the context of the “attack on Ukraine” plan attributed by the West to Russia.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in a statement that the published information “sheds light on the extent of Russian activities aimed at undermining Ukraine and gives an idea of the Kremlin's thinking.”
“We call on the British Foreign Office to stop provocative activities, to stop spread nonsense and concentrate on studying the history of the Tatar-Mongol yoke, ”the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to these statements of London.
A few hours before the appearance of the statements of the British diplomatic department about Moscow’s intention to plant a “pro-Russian” leadership in Kiev, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued warnings about impending information and military provocations from the West in the Ukrainian direction on the eve of the Beijing Olympics 2022.
British The Guardian was rather reserved in assessing the Foreign Office's allegations of a “plot to establish a pro-Moscow government” in Ukraine, pointing out, in particular, that four of the five people whom the British Foreign Office mentioned as candidates for the role of the future “pro-Russian leadership” in Kiev, live in emigration in Moscow.
The British Foreign Office's statements were further confused, The Guardian notes, when Yevgeny Muraev, whom the Foreign Office described as a “potential candidate” as Moscow's presidential candidate, said he would be an unlikely candidate to head Moscow's puppet government. “You made my evening. The UK Foreign Office seems to be confused, said Yevgeny Muraev, a former Ukrainian MP, laughing. – It's not very logical. I am banned from entering Russia. Not only that, but also the money of my father’s firm was confiscated.”
The BBC in this regard recalls that Russian sanctions have been in place against Yevgeny Muraev since 2018, and cites his words: “How the British intelligence services and the Foreign Office combine this with the fact that Russia allegedly wants to appoint me the head of the “occupation government” – this is a question for Mr. Bean.
In Ukraine, Vasily Filipchuk, a former Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman who now runs a think tank, called the British conspiracy allegations “ludicrous”, The Guardian notes. He stated that even rigged elections would not bring pro-Russian actors to power, and an attempt to install them by force would mean a very long and very bloody struggle.
According to British analysts and regional experts, The Guardian points out that the Foreign Office statement, while plausible, did not contain any obvious new intelligence, given that Moscow is concentrating troops near the border and does not hide its displeasure with the current government of the country.
A British Foreign Office spokesman declined to answer questions about whether the British government had any details about the timing or method Russia intended to use to change leadership in Kiev.
“Lack of details about the plot and a sudden diplomatic push after a period of international sidelines puts Johnson at risk of remaining open to accusations that he is using a volatile international crisis to bolster his position at home. premiere. Boris Johnson is known to be under fire in the UK for his handling of the pandemic, including allegations of partying during his own government's covid restrictions.