British Defense Minister Ben Wallace told reporters that Russia allegedly poses "the number one threat" to Britain.

According to him, Russian submarines are "circling along the entire coast" of the United Kingdom, and Russian ships are showing increased activity off the coast of Britain.

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Wallace said that Russian ships "regularly visit" UK waters and that Moscow is conducting "a series of operations aimed at Britain on purpose."

According to British media reports, at least seven Russian warships and one submarine were allegedly sighted off the coast of the United Kingdom in 2020, and 26 ships and one submarine a year earlier.

However, the Telegraph notes that confirmed cases of the discovery of Russian ships are rare.

  • Ben Wallace

  • Reuters

  • © Justin TALLIS

At the same time, according to the publication, since 2013, the UK has allegedly recorded at least 150 cases of detection of ships of the Russian Navy.

The head of the British Defense Department said that London allegedly "tried to de-escalate, tried different methods." 

“But at the moment, until Russia changes its approach, it is rather difficult to understand in which direction we have to move,” Wallace said.

Escalation policy

Experts are skeptical about the statement by the head of the British Ministry of Defense about attempts to "de-escalate", which London allegedly made.

“This is the usual rhetoric of the British military and politicians.

First, they themselves inflame tensions, and then talk about the desire for de-escalation.

The United States acts in exactly the same way, "said Alexei Podberezkin, director of the Center for Military-Political Research at MGIMO, in a commentary on RT.

A similar point of view is shared by Kira Godovanyuk, Senior Researcher at the Center for British Studies, Institute of Europe, Russian Academy of Sciences.

“It is impossible to seriously consider the statements that the UK made attempts to de-escalate - there are no steps towards dialogue on the agenda of the United Kingdom.

Therefore, the talk that Russia should change its "behavior" and the edifying tone from London is nothing more than the style of British foreign policy in recent years, "the expert explained in an interview with RT.

  • Aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth

  • AFP

  • © Adrian DENNIS

A similar opinion was expressed by a member of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs Sergei Tsekov.

The senator noted that the British authorities are completely "deprived of the ability to objectively assess their actions and the actions of Russia." 

Commenting on Wallace's statement, he recalled the expansion of NATO to the east and the approach of the armed forces of the alliance to the borders of Russia.

"This is an absolutely hypocritical statement ... In fact, their actions are hostile actions," Tsekov said in an interview with RT.

Indeed, by criticizing Russia, the British authorities reserve the right to act far from their borders.

As Ben Wallace said in an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Britain has "returned" to the international arena as a global military power capable of projecting its power thousands of miles from its territory.

According to the head of the British Ministry of Defense, the demonstration of this was the new aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy, HMS Queen Elizabeth, which left Portsmouth the day before and went on its first Far Eastern raid.

At the same time, this is not the first time London calls Moscow its adversary.

So, in the summer of 2020, in response to a parliamentarian's request on how the government assesses the security of the Baltic and North Seas in the light of reports on the plans of the Russian Navy to adopt 40 new ships, the Minister of State for Defense of Great Britain Annabel Goldie said that “Russia has is still a country that poses a significant threat to the UK. "

And in October 2020, Britain's chief of defense, Nick Carter, said that the country's national security was threatened by opponents "from among the authoritarian powers."

He referred to them Russia and China.

“Our authoritarian adversaries see the strategic context as a continuous struggle that uses non-military and military means without regard to any distinction between war and peacetime,” the general said, speaking at the British think tank Policy Exchange.

In his opinion, the Russian Federation and the PRC allegedly believe that "they are already involved in an intense form of conflict, which is predominantly political in nature." 

"Acceptable limits"

At the same time, the United Kingdom and NATO have long been stepping up their military activity near the Russian borders.

So, in October 2020, the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Navy was forced to start tracking the actions of the British destroyer Dragon, which entered the Black Sea.

In mid-May 2021, the British patrol ship HMS Trent also entered the Black Sea.

At the same time, Great Britain launched activity not only at sea, but also in airspace.

In October 2020, a Su-27 fighter of the Russian Aerospace Forces was raised to intercept four British Air Force planes as they approached the Russian border.

The incident took place over the neutral waters of the Black Sea, this was then reported at the National Defense Control Center of Russia.

  • Ships of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Navy

  • RIA News

  • © Vasily Batanov

The British military also appears at the western borders of the Russian Federation.

In January 2021, the media reported that the British Navy's HMS Echo reconnaissance ship entered the Baltic Sea.

Officially, it is considered a hydrographic research vessel, but it carries weapons - a 20 mm cannon and 7.62 mm machine guns.

In addition, the HMS Echo is equipped with multi-beam echo sounders and multiple towed sensors to collect military data.

As the secretary of the Russian Security Council Nikolai Patrushev said in April, in the face of growing NATO activity, Moscow will be forced to take measures to ensure the security of its territory.

"There is an increase in the military activity of the NATO bloc, especially the United States, in the immediate vicinity of the Russian borders in the Black Sea region," Patrushev said.

Earlier, the Chief of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, First Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Sergei Rudskoy, said that in 2020 NATO warships began to be in the Black Sea for a third longer than in 2019.

“The number of calls to the Black Sea by the warships of the North Atlantic Alliance remains high.

The total duration of their stay from January to September increased by 33% compared to last year, ”Rudskoy said, speaking at a briefing at the National Defense Management Center of the Russian Federation.

Experts also note a disproportionate increase in the alliance's activity.

“NATO's activity significantly exceeds any Russian activity.

For example, the number of reconnaissance flights of the Alliance Air Force near the borders of Russia has increased significantly in recent years, ”says Alexey Podberezkin.

In addition, as the expert recalled, the British military regularly takes part in the exercises of the North Atlantic Alliance near the borders of Russia.

For example, in the largest exercises Defender Europe 2021. 28 thousand soldiers are taking part in the maneuvers that take place in 16 countries. 

As Andrei Manoilo, Doctor of Political Science, noted in the RT commentary, the UK and other NATO countries deliberately substitute concepts when it comes to military activity near Russian borders.

"As a rule, when the NATO military appear at the borders of the Russian Federation, this is called 'exercises', and the actions of the Russian military are called 'aggression', even if Russia is carrying out maneuvers on its own territory," the expert noted.

Alexey Podberezkin agrees with this assessment.

“Wallace’s statement is yet another example of the double standards that London uses in relations with Russia.

It is no secret that British ships and aircraft appear and are present at the borders of Russia.

British sailors do not restrict themselves when sailing in these areas.

Great Britain, like NATO in general, constantly probes the permissible limits and reaction of Russia, moving closer to its borders, "the expert explained.

According to Kira Godovanyuk, the statements of official London should be considered in the general context of international relations.

“For the UK, statements about the 'Russian threat' have become part of its foreign policy agenda. London sees itself as the leader of the Western world, which unites like-minded people on the basis of opposition to Russia. For Great Britain, this is a very important foreign policy asset, which it regularly uses, ”the expert summed up.