Declassified UK, latest intel

Posted on March 17, 2022 by Wirral In It Together


DCUK-INTEL

Weekly public intelligence brief on UK foreign & security policies: For members of Declassified UK onlyIssue 52 – Week to 17 March 2022

EUROPE

Russia/UkraineMilitary

British and US spy planes are “carrying out regular missions on the fringes of Ukraine’s airspace” in order to “monitor Russian communications on the battlefield”.

Former UK foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt called on Britain to increase defence spending. He claimed: “Peace comes from strength, not luck”. And he added that “the most fundamental lesson of the Cold War” was “the power of deterrence”. The UK currently spends more than £40bn on defence.

The British army confirmed that some British soldiers have gone AWOL and “may have travelled to Ukraine”. An army spokesperson said: “We are strongly encouraging them to return to the UK”.Foreign minister James Cleverly told Parliament: “We have heard anecdotally that Ukrainians are shouting ‘God save the Queen!’ as they fire those weapons at the tanks that have been sent to destroy them”. UK-made rocket launchers may be in the hands of Ukrainian neo-Nazis, Declassified recently revealed.

Cleverly also announced more UK arms supplies to Ukraine “including Starstreak ground-based air defence anti-aircraft missiles”.

Cleverly said the UK has no plans to recover any unused weapons it has given Ukraine after the conflict with Russia.

The Royal Air Force participated in a Norwegian-led military exercise, codenamed Exercise Cold Response, alongside 26 other NATO members.

Russia warned NATO countries that it will treat arms shipments to Ukraine as “legitimate targets” for military action.

The UK Defence Ministry claimed that Russia may be planning to use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine.

UK foreign secretary Liz Truss told CNN: “We are very concerned about the [potential] use of chemical weapons” by Russian forces in Ukraine.

UK permanent representative to the UN Barbara Woodward declared at the UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine: “There is not a shred of credible evidence that Ukraine has a biological weapons programme”.

UK ambassador to Ukraine Melinda Simmons said that Russia is “deliberately targeting” civilians in Ukraine. She added: “The military assistance that we have given Ukraine is all about assistance that enables them to defend themselves”.

Sanctions

The UK sanctioned 386 Russian MPs in response to the invasion of Ukraine. 400 of the 450 members of the Russian Duma have now been sanctioned. Liz Truss said: “We will not let up the pressure and will continue to tighten the screw on the Russian economy through sanctions”.

The UK also sanctioned Vladimir Putin’s prime minister and defence minister, as well as a number of Russian oligarchs, bringing the total number of UK sanctions on Russia to over 1,000.

UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak called on UK firms to “think very carefully” about investing in Russia.

The UK government announced a plan to ban the export of luxury goods to Russia.

The UK will host leaders from countries along Russia’s north-western flank next week to discuss “new ways to isolate Russia’s economy”.Sanctions on Russia will “cut UK living standards by £2,500 per household”, a Centre for Economics and Business Research study estimated.

Ukrainian refugeesBoris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel were criticised for halting plans to expand the UK’s response to Ukrainian refugees.

Ukraine’s UK ambassador appealed to MPs “to drop visa rules for a limited period to allow refugees to get out of the country”. He said that his wife struggled with Britain’s “bureaucratic” immigration system.

The UK government subsequently announced that it will ease requirements for Ukrainian refugees, and allow the general public to offer accommodation to Ukrainians fleeing the war. 120,000 Britons signed up to the scheme within its first 24 hours.

UK armed forces minister James Heappey said British troops will be sent to Poland to help speed up the visa processing of Ukrainian refugees, but not France.

French President Emmanuel Macron accused Britain of not living up to its “grand statements” on welcoming Ukrainian refugees.

Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon announced that Scotland will welcome 3,000 Ukrainian refugees.

Other issues

Boris Johnson said that there is “no way Ukraine is going to join NATO any time soon”, an apparent backtrack on the UK government’s former position that Ukraine “will become” a member.

The Sunday Times reported that Boris Johnson was warned by MI6 two years ago about granting a peerage to Russian oligarch Evgeny Lebedev.

Under Putin, BP has extracted £271 billion of Russian oil Declassified revealed.

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair said that NATO should not rule out intervening in the war in Ukraine.

MIDDLE EAST

Saudi Arabia

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson travelled to Saudi Arabia to discuss moving the UK “away from dependence on Russian oil and gas”. The trip involved “talks on energy, regional security and international diplomacy as part of the UK’s work to galvanise global action on the invasion of Ukraine”.

Johnson reportedly has “better links with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman than any other G7 leader”, with the pair exchanging WhatsApp messages.

UK ambassador to Saudi Arabia Neil Crompton met the Saudi Assistant Minister for Finance, “further deepening our bilateral development collaboration with Saudi Arabia”.

The Home Office is currently hosting a “Security and Policing” exhibition in Farnborough. Firms from Israel, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE, and others have been invited to view products related to “Covert Operations” and “Counter Terrorism”.

Saudi Arabia announced that it has executed 81 men, the largest mass execution for decades.

The UK Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) said that Johnson’s trip to Saudi Arabia “sends a clear signal the most grievous human rights abuses and killings can take place with impunity as long as international trade continues”.

Minister Amanda Milling told Parliament: “The Saudi Arabian public investment fund is a significant investor, having invested billions in the UK and other western markets… We welcome the purchase of Newcastle United, a sign that the UK remains a great place to invest”.

Ahead of the Chelsea FC vs Newcastle United FC game, Amnesty International UK’s chief executive Sacha Deshmukh said: “Saudi Arabia’s purchase of Newcastle was a glaring example of modern sportswashing… designed to reshape Saudi Arabia’s international image and distract from the country’s appalling human rights record”.

A number of prominent UK museums are “boycotting a cultural agreement struck between the British and Saudi governments” over the latter’s human rights record. They include the Tate, National Gallery and British Museum.

Yemen

UNICEF issued a press release on Yemen, noting that: “Since the conflict escalated in Yemen nearly seven years ago, the UN verified that more than 10,2000 children have been killed or injured. The actual number is likely much higher”.

UAE

Boris Johnson also visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on his trip to the Middle East.

Iran

Britain, France and Germany warned that negotiations over the so-called JCPOA nuclear deal were on the verge of collapse after Russia demanded that trade with Iran be unaffected by sanctions. In a joint statement, Britain, France and Germany said: “Nobody should seek to exploit the JCPOA negotiations to obtain assurances that are separate to the JCPOA”.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is finally home. She had been detained in Iran from April 2016.Britain paid an outstanding £405m tank debt to Iran, securing Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s release.

Iraq

The Foreign Office issued a statement in response to the Iranian missile attack on Erbil, Iraq. It noted: “The UK condemns the senseless attack by Iran on Erbil last night which is an unprovoked violation of Iraqi sovereignty”.

JULIAN ASSANGE

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was denied permission to appeal against extradition by the UK Supreme Court. The Court argued that Assange’s application for appeal did not raise “an arguable point of law”.

Assange’s lawyers have not ruled out launching a final appeal.

Amnesty International called the decision by the UK Supreme Court “a blow for justice”. It added: “The Supreme Court has missed an opportunity to clarify the UK’s acceptance of deeply flawed diplomatic assurances against torture”.

Reporters Without Borders called on the Home Office to block Assange’s extradition. It said: “Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is deeply disappointed by the refusal of the UK Supreme Court to consider the appeal in the extradition case against Wikileaks publisher Julian Assange”.
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About Wirral In It Together

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