Russia's intelligence operatives have been in communication with a number of former Ukrainian leaders as part of plans for an invasion, Britain claimed on Saturday, accusing the Kremlin of attempting to establish a pro-Russian leader in Ukraine.
The West and Russia are at odds over Russia's massing of soldiers along its border with Ukraine, and the British foreign ministry has refused to give proof to back up its charges. Moscow has said that it has no intention of invading the country.
UK accuses Moscow of replacing Ukraine leadership with pro-Russia leader
Yevhen Murayev, a former Ukrainian lawmaker and a prospective contender to lead a pro-Russian leadership, is being considered by the Russian government, according to information provided by the British ministry. Ex-Ukrainian politician Yevhen Murayev, according to the British ministry, is being considered by the Russian government to lead a pro-Russian leadership.
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the statements are "disinformation," and the UK and NATO are "escalating tensions" over Ukraine. Following the failure of senior US and Russian officials to reach a big breakthrough in discussions over Ukraine, the British assertion came a day after they decided to continue talking. NATO's eastward expansion has been curtailed and Ukraine will never be permitted to join the Western military alliance; Russia has made security demands of the US, as per Business World.
Ex-MP Yevhen Murayev has been named as a possible Kremlin candidate to take over in Kiev by the United Kingdom yesterday night, which is rare. President Putin's intelligence officers have also been linked to four additional Ukrainian supporters, according to the Foreign Office. It occurred as Western allies issued further cautions that any incursion by the 100,000 troops gathered on the border would cost Russia dearly.
This week, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will put further pressure on Russia, urging Europe and the United States to ratchet up their reaction. Following the delivery of deadly supplies to Ukraine, including 2,000 missiles and a professional team of military trainers, he will dispatch Cabinet ministers around the continent, according to The Sun.
UK warns Russia will face severe sanctions
The 45-year-old Murayev has propagated several ideas that are in line with the Kremlin's narratives about Ukraine even though he says he wants Ukraine to be independent of both Russia and the West. The British Foreign Office has refused to offer proof to back up its claims. According to a ministry source, sharing intelligence is not a common procedure, and the specifics were only disclosed after careful review in order to prevent Russian hostility.
Podolyak, a spokesman for Ukraine, told Reuters that there was a sense among Ukrainians that Murayev was "too absurd a character" to be the Kremlin's candidate to lead Ukraine. However, he went on to say that Russia had bolstered previously small people in leadership positions in the seized Crimea and separatist-held Donbass.
According to him, "One should take this information as seriously as possible." In a poll done by Razumkov's Centre think tank in December 2021, Murayev was ranked seventh among presidential aspirants with 6.3 percent support.
A stop to NATO's eastward expansion and the promise that Ukraine would never be permitted to join the Western military alliance have been offered by Russia to the US as security demands.
Emily Horne, a spokesperson for the US National Security Council, stated, "This sort of planning is really concerning." "We stand with our democratically elected partners in Ukraine, who have the sovereign right to choose their own fate."
Russian intelligence agencies were keeping contacts with various former Ukrainian politicians, including top officials with links to ex-President Viktor Yanukovich, according to Britain, which this week provided Ukraine with 2,000 missiles and a team of military trainers, Reuters reported.
Related Article : Britain Sides With Ukraine Amid Ongoing Tensions With Russia, Says Pro-Moscow Administration Could Replace Government
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