Embassy comment on inappropriate statements by some UK officials

We categorically reject recent comments by UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, who, following in the footsteps of US representatives, accused the Russian Federation and Iran of some "sordid" deals in the context of the Ukrainian crisis. 

The UK side is well aware that allegations regarding supposed Iranian military supplies to Russia, ostensibly carried out in exchange for Russian military-technical support, completely lack factual basis. Russia, unlike our Western opponents, is invariably committed to complying with national legislation and international law in its cooperation with third countries.

Talking about "sordid" transactions, J.Cleverly ought to be reminded of, above all, the massive military-technical, financial and propaganda assistance provided by Great Britain and its Western allies to the Kiev regime.

These countries seem quite comfortable that pumping weapons into Ukraine in breach of fundamental norms of export control is multiplying civilian casualties and prolonging hostilities. That Western-supplied military equipment, including heavy and long-range systems, is being purposefully used for de-facto terrorist strikes against civilian targets. 

Residential buildings, hospitals, schools, kindergartens are subjected to repeated shelling by the armed forces of Ukraine in the DPR, LPR, Kherson, Zaporozhye, Belgorod, Kursk and Bryansk regions. 

The Ukrainian military is continuing its attacks against the Zaporozhye NPP and the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant. In Kiev-controlled territories mass “filtrations”, repressions and extrajudicial killings are widely practiced. 

Ukrainian officials are not at all hesitant about publicly calling for “executing traitors like dogs”. The Supreme Court of Ukraine recently went as far as refusing to recognize the insignia of the “Galicia” Waffen-SS division as a Nazi symbol – in violation of the decisions of the Nuremberg Tribunal.

London is naturally quite well aware of all this. However, such facts invariably fail to find their way into the local media mainstream, while British officials are timidly silent about them. One should ask, however, whether such systemic hypocrisy with regard to Ukraine isn’t emblematic of exactly the kind of “sordid” double-deal that J.Cleverly seems to be concerned about?

For our part, we are carefully recording all instances of London’s and other Western capitals’ involvement in the financial encouragement and arming of the Kiev regime, as well as in planning military actions against Russian facilities and military personnel. Naturally such criminal acts will have specific legal consequences for all those involved.

We are also surprised by utterly unfounded speculations by the Foreign Secretary regarding the «violation of Security Council resolution 2231». If London is indeed concerned about its implementation, the UK leadership should focus its attention on the actions of the true violator of the Resolution – the United States, whose unilateral withdrawal from the “nuclear deal” has become the very challenge to global security, about which our UK colleagues pretend to care.