The British House of Commons Defense Committee has published a report on the situation in the Russian-Ukrainian border.

The document notes that the conflict in the east of the country between the self-proclaimed republics of Donbass and the government forces of Ukraine remains unresolved, despite attempts at a political settlement (the 2015 Minsk agreements and the comprehensive ceasefire agreement that entered into force in July 2020).

The authors of the report state that in recent months the situation in the region has worsened, violations of the silence regime on the contact line in Donbass have become more frequent.

So, according to the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission, if in July-November 2020, an average of 600 cases of ceasefire violations were recorded per month, then in April 2021 this number increased to 6,600.

Against this background, the report notes, the Russian side has been deploying troops and equipment to the Crimea, Voronezh and Rostov regions since the end of March.

According to British parliamentarians, the scale of the deployment of these forces and their proximity to the Ukrainian border have caused alarm in Ukraine and in the international community.

“Russia has mobilized a large number of troops and military equipment near the border with Ukraine in the largest military build-up since the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014,” the document says.

We will remind, on April 22, at the Crimean Opuk training ground, an interspecific exercise of the Russian Armed Forces took place.

More than 10 thousand servicemen took part in them.

A little later, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced the completion of verification activities in the Southern and Western military districts and set the task of starting the return of troops to the points of permanent deployment.

However, Britain claims that Russian troops are allegedly still located near the border with Ukraine.

“The deadline of May 1, by which Russia promised to withdraw additional troops on the border with Ukraine, has passed;

Great Britain, together with NATO allies and other OSCE member states, should insist that Russia withdraw all its support units and equipment from the border with Ukraine and outside Crimea, ”the document says.

Earlier, the press secretary of the Russian president Dmitry Peskov said that "the Russian army is moving in the Russian territory in the directions in which it considers it necessary" to ensure the security of the state.

He stressed that Russia does not pose a threat to any country in the world.

“Russia does not pose a threat to any country in the world ... including, of course, it does not pose a threat to Ukraine.

But he is always very attentive to his own safety, ”said Peskov.

"Justify the military budget"

The British committee on defense of the lower house of parliament calls Russia's actions "military aggression" and "subversion."

"The ongoing military aggression of Russia and its subversive activities against neighboring countries is leading to deep instability in Europe and is causing increasing concern among NATO, associated with the desire to contain Russia and at the same time increase stability in the region and maintain collective security in it", - noted in the text of the document. 

  • Ukrainian-British exercise "Cossack Mace - 2021"

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  • © UkrainianLandForces

In an interview with RT, political analyst Ivan Mezyukho noted that British parliamentarians are using anti-Russian rhetoric to justify the military budget spent on joint military exercises in Ukraine.

“Representatives of the legislative branch of this country (Great Britain -

RT

) must somehow justify the costs incurred by the United Kingdom in connection with participation in land and sea exercises in Ukraine.

Therefore, the anti-Russian orientation in a sense justifies the expenditure of funds of British taxpayers to conduct joint exercises with the Ukrainian side, "the political scientist said.

A similar opinion was expressed by an Americanist, professor at the Faculty of Law at the Higher School of Economics, Alexander Domrin.

“Firstly, since it was the defense committee that prepared the report, it is quite clear that a budget is needed to defend against Russia.

As for everything else, if Russia conducts maneuvers and concentrates its weapons somewhere, it does it on its territory, which fully fits into the concept of sovereignty, ”the expert explained.

British parliamentarians are also calling on Russia to be "transparent" about the actions of its armed forces near the borders.

"Russia has the right to deploy troops on its own territory, but in the interests of security and stability in the region, it is obliged to maintain transparency with regard to military exercises and military activities near its borders," the authors of the report note.

At the same time, the legislators of the United Kingdom proposed to refute the position of Russia, whose representatives have repeatedly noted that the expansion of NATO poses a threat to its national security.

“The UK and NATO must counter Russian rhetoric that Ukraine’s NATO membership and NATO enlargement as a whole pose a threat to Russian security, pointing, for example, to the fact that it is Russia, not Ukraine or NATO, who is taking or supporting actions aimed to destabilize the situation in the region, ”the document says.

Professor of the Department of Comparative Political Science of the RUDN University Yuri Pochta noted the increasing pressure on Russia in the field of geopolitical interests.

“The United States, Great Britain and the West have long stated that Russia cannot claim any geopolitical interests on its borders.

And in this case we are talking about Ukraine and the countries of the post-Soviet space in general.

In this case, Great Britain is trying to be one of the leaders in strengthening anti-Russian pressure together with NATO, "the Post said in a conversation with RT.



"Created to provoke Russia"



The authors of the report talk about the need for close cooperation with Ukraine, NATO and other allies "to monitor the situation on the ground, exchange intelligence and plan joint actions to ensure collective security in the region."

These actions are in line with the vision of a Global UK, which published a Comprehensive Review of Security, Defense, Development and Foreign Policy Priorities in March 2021.

In the document, Russia is designated "as the most acute direct threat to Great Britain."



Thus, British lawmakers are proposing a number of measures to protect against "the entire spectrum of threats emanating from Russia."

First of all, we are talking about the support and build-up of the naval forces of Ukraine.

We will remind, on June 21 in Odessa aboard the missile destroyer of the Royal Navy HMS Defender, Ukraine and the UK signed a memorandum of partnership in the field of military shipbuilding.

“This agreement provides for the intergovernmental sale and purchase of two updated minesweepers-seekers of Sandown type mines and the joint development and construction of eight missile boats for Ukraine, two of which will be built in the UK, as well as assistance to Ukraine from the United Kingdom in the construction of two naval bases on Black and Azov Seas ", - stated in the report of the Defense Committee.

In addition, according to the document, the UK's “future commitments” include ensuring the safety and freedom of navigation.

“As part of this, we will continue to enjoy freedom of action in the Black Sea,” the legislators emphasize.

  • Destroyer Defender British Navy (left) in the area of ​​Cape Fiolent

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  • © FSB RF

Recall that on June 23, 2021, the destroyer URO Defender of the British Navy, not responding to warnings, crossed the Russian state border and entered the territorial waters of Russia near Cape Fiolent for 3 km.

The Black Sea Fleet and the FSB Border Service stopped the violation of the Russian border.

In Britain, the Defender's provocation in the Black Sea was called a "peaceful passage" and promised new calls of ships into the "waters of Ukraine".

Political scientist Ivan Mezyukho explained in an interview with RT that such measures were created to provoke Russia.

“The proposals described in the text of this document are aimed at provoking the Russian Federation.

I think that the initiators of this document will not be able to compromise our country in any way.

We must be prepared for the fact that both the United Kingdom and the United States will increase their activity in the Black Sea, ”the expert expressed his opinion.

Thus, parliamentarians propose to Great Britain, together with NATO, to define "red lines" for Russia.

“Britain and NATO must define their“ red lines ”and the corresponding actions that can be taken if Russia crosses such a“ red line ”, the document says.

Professor of the Department of Comparative Political Science of the RUDN University Yuri Pochta called such ideas "an attempt at the ideological and military-political diktat of the united West in relation to Russia."

“I see behind this an attempt to deny Russia the right to foreign policy.

That all Russia's foreign policy activities are dangerous to global security, and we (Great Britain -

RT

), with the help of NATO, will determine everything, and you must sacredly believe in us.

With which we will certainly not agree, ”the expert concluded.