The Extraordinary Committee under the British Government (COBRA) should switch to a year-round regime due to the threat of a resumption of strategic confrontation with Russia. This was stated by the head of the Joint Command of the Armed Forces of the Kingdom, General Patrick Sanders.

He claims that Moscow can start a new big game. This term is used to describe the confrontation between Russia and Great Britain for supremacy in South and Central Asia in the 19th and early 20th centuries. However, Sanders fears that the new rivalry, which supposedly could unleash the Russian Federation and China, will be more serious - "on steroids."

“The creation of a situational center or mechanism outside of government committees meeting in the halls under the cabinet secretariat and existing crisis centers is an important part of the process of increasing the resilience of the United Kingdom in the face of the strategic threats facing us,” General The Telegraph quotes.

According to Sanders, “the return of great power competition” has led to hostilities in cyberspace as well. Moreover, the general is convinced that Great Britain is threatened by "hostile states and violent extremists" in cyberspace.

In this regard, the head of the Joint Command called for more careful coordination of all departments - from the military to those that must respond to civilian threats. For this, Sanders proposes the creation of a national crisis center and will have to collect various levers of control, the general noted. In his opinion, the national security adviser Mark Sidville should head the department.

“In the event of multiple attacks, we may need a new mechanism to counter large-scale and complex attacks. Therefore, I support this idea. However, support in words from the Ministry of Defense is not enough, because conversations cannot be achieved, ”said Sanders.

  • Patrick Sanders
  • © Martin BUREAU / AFP

Distract from Brexitis

With the help of such statements, London seeks to divert the attention of the international community from intra-British issues, said Igor Shatrov, deputy director of the National Institute for the Development of Modern Ideology.

“This is an attempt to distract the attention of voters, and the world community in general, from the problems that Great Britain has now faced. In particular, the incomprehensible situation with Brexit, with Europe. I think that he considered that it was the right time to declare the special role of Great Britain in the world, its responsibility for world security, ”he told RT.

Russia in this context is used to demonstrate its significance, Shatrov is convinced. Since Moscow plays a significant role in international politics, speaking of “opposition” to it, other countries are trying to increase their own authority, the expert explained.

“If you somehow want your role in world politics to be elevated, it’s enough to enter into some kind of interaction (with Russia. - RT ) - a confrontation, or, conversely, friendly relations — and your status immediately rises. I think that the UK, playing on this far-fetched conflict, is raising its stakes in world politics, ”the analyst added.

This position of London harms bilateral cooperation, political analyst Yuri Svetov is convinced.

“Russia is not a key problem for Britain, but this hysteria, this desire to present itself as a victim leads to the fact that mutually beneficial political, economic, cultural relations become a victim,” he told RT.

“High probability - high efficiency”

Sanders described the British actions in connection with the Salisbury incident as an example of cooperation between the British departments, in which ex-GRU officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Julia were found at his home in March 2018. According to the general, the reaction of London to this business was "incredibly effective."

Note that the UK has accused Russia of poisoning the Skripals with A-234 nerve gas, referred to in the West as the "Novice". In this regard, sanctions were imposed against Moscow by London and Washington, and a number of Western countries sent Russian diplomats.

However, no evidence was provided of Russia's involvement in this incident - in the indictments the wording “most likely”, or “highly like” was used. Moreover, despite the fact that both Sergey and Julia are citizens of the Russian Federation, access to them by Russian diplomatic representatives was never granted. Also, representatives of the law enforcement bodies of Russia are not allowed to the investigation.

Moscow has repeatedly pointed out the unprovenness of the accusations and calls on London to cooperate in a joint investigation of what happened, but to no avail.

In this regard, the statement of Sanders that the reaction of London to the Salisbury incident was "incredibly effective" sounds strange, Svetov believes.

“Now the new expression“ high-likly ”has been launched into world circulation, it is now, apparently, an example of high efficiency. High probability - high efficiency, ”he said.

According to Shatrov, Sanders gives wishful thinking and is trying to return the Skripals case to the agenda.

“This is an attempt to give out wishful thinking. Despite the fact that the prime minister has changed, and despite the fact that the Skripals case does not receive as much attention as under Theresa May, nevertheless, the Skripals case still remains that provocative ploy, due to which it was possible to launch a new sanction war, - stated the expert. “The story with the Skripals has influenced international relations, respectively, now we need to breathe new life into this project.”