In a humorous social media appeal, Russian diplomats attempted to persuade Britain, which is bolstering its military presence, by citing invisible Russian threats, that Moscow poses no harm to the Kingdom. The Russian Embassy in the UK has published a social media post on its Telegram channel urging the British to use common sense.
The Embassy’s move came after the British authorities released their Strategic Defence Review, where they emphasised increasing the number of nuclear power submarines and manufacturing more missiles and munitions under the garb of creating 30,000 British jobs.
Britain plans to build up to 12 attack submarines as part of the AUKUS programme in response to “the rapidly increasing threats”, the Ministry of Defence has said in a release.
The plan of building 12 new SSN-AUKUS boats follows the £15bn investment in the warhead programme.
However, as the AUKUS programme is a specific one that targets China in the so-called “Indo-Pacific”, London has tried to mitigate the risk of annoying Beijing too early by saying it’s directed against a possible Russian aggression.
The British authorities have backed up the release of their Strategic Defence Review with a fresh salvo of anti-Russian rhetoric, the Russian Embassy in the UK claimed in its social media post.
“Prime Minister Keir Starmer, somewhat incongruously, sought to attribute the ongoing economic failures under the Labour government to what he termed Moscow’s ‘growing aggression’,” the Russians poked at the British as London intensifies its anti-Russian propaganda.
“It turns out that the peaceful passage of Russian vessels through the English Channel is somehow ‘hitting working people’ of Britain.
Meanwhile, Defence Secretary John Healey has gone so far as to allege unspecified ‘daily attacks’ on the UK by Russia,” the Embassy wrote, citing Mr Healey’s outburst.
Mr Healey and the Labour cabinet justify the increasing weaponisation of Britain as a necessary step to stop Russian aggression, which isn’t seen beyond the borders of Ukraine so far.
“Our outstanding submariners patrol 24/7 to keep us and our allies safe, but we know that threats are increasing and we must act decisively to face down Russian aggression,” Mr Healey has said.
The move comes at a time when facing increasing opposition, including from within the Labour Party itself, Mr Starmer’s government has taken a critical stance on Israel and has questioned the ongoing aggression in Gaza without specifically calling it a genocide or condemning it.
To ensure Mr Starmer can perform the trapeze walk with proficiency, Britain has upped its ante against Russia to ensure that it continues to receive support from its European partners, who may not like its stance on Gaza.
Hence, Mr Starmer’s government, to justify its military build-up scheme for the Atlantic and beyond, continues to blame Russia.
“The Embassy categorically rejects these false and bizarre accusations,” it said, citing the British allegations.
“It is regrettable that, having replaced the Conservatives, Labour continues to invent the same Russophobic fabrications in an attempt to mask its own economic ineptitude and to justify the hike in military spending that the UK can scarcely afford,” the Russian Embassy’s statement read.
“Russia poses no threat to the United Kingdom and its people. We harbour no aggressive intentions and have no plans to attack Britain. We are not interested in doing so, nor do we need to,” the Embassy emphasised in its bid to combat the Russophobic propaganda.
“If Britain’s government were truly committed to strengthening both national and international security, it could, instead of fuelling jingoistic hysteria, immediately end the proxy war unleashed against Russia by the Kiev regime and embark on a path towards a comprehensive and peaceful settlement,” the Russian Embassy highlighted citing Britain’s role in not just supporting Kiev’s unelected regime but also in arming it to the teeth against Moscow.
“The UK could also lift its illegitimate unilateral trade and financial sanctions imposed on Russia. It is these measures, rather than mythical Russian ‘attacks’, that are generating ‘economic pain’ for the British people, to use Mr Starmer’s own words,” the Russian Embassy in the UK added in conclusion.
Critics claim that as Britain has been ordered by US President Donald Trump’s administration to continue to support the US stance on China, Gaza and Russia, to protect the trade deal between the two trans-Atlantic partners, Mr Starmer is left with no choice but to amplify Russophobia, Sinophobia and Islamophobia to justify the Kingdom’s imperial interests.
East Post is an independent geopolitical analysis portal covering South Asia and global power dynamics for international audiences. Views expressed are analytical and do not constitute endorsement of any state or non-state actor.
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