Pro-Putin mob berate the British ambassador to Moscow as she is summoned to the Russian ministry over false claims that Britain staged explosions on Nord Stream pipes and the Black Sea Fleet
- The British Ambassador was summoned to the Foreign Ministry in Moscow on Thursday
- Deborah Bronnert was met by an angry mob chanting ‘Britain is a State of Terror’.
- Comes after Russia accused Britain of orchestrating attacks on its Black Sea Fleet
- The Kremlin has also accused Britain of involvement in attacks on Nord Stream
The British Ambassador to Russia was greeted by a mob when she was summoned to the country’s Foreign Office today over allegations that the UK had orchestrated attacks on the Nord Stream pipeline and the Black Sea Fleet.
Deborah Bronnert was confronted this morning in Moscow by protesters waving banners reading ‘Britain is a terrorist state’ and ‘Britain will stand up for Nord Stream’.
The State Department brought in Bronnert to show their “proof” that Britain organized Ukrainian drone strikes on the Black Sea Fleet in Crimea last weekend.
The meeting also comes after the Kremlin accused Britain of colluding with America to attack the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines in September.
Deborah Bronnert, the British Ambassador to Russia, was called to the Foreign Office this morning to see “evidence” that Britain helped attack the Nord Stream pipes and the Black Sea Fleet
Protesters – who appear to have been staged – carried banners reading ‘Britain is a terrorist state’ and ‘Britain will respond for Nord Stream’.
Bronnert strolled by, ignoring the protest – which appeared to be staged – and stayed at the Ministry for about half an hour.
There was no immediate comment from Russia or Britain on what transpired during the meeting.
Britain has denied being involved in direct attacks on Russia or its assets but is open about supporting Ukraine’s war effort, with London warning Putin it would support Kyiv before deciding to invade.
Western officials said Wednesday that Russia’s increasingly rampant accusations about nuclear weapons and sabotage attacks are a way to distract from its failed war.
The protests follow a series of anti-British claims, while calls for retaliation against the UK have come from Russian officials and state television.
Britain is falsely blamed for explosions in the Nord Stream gas pipelines and a drone attack on the naval port of Sevastopol in annexed Crimea.
“The British ambassador will be summoned and given the relevant materials,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said a day before the meeting.
The official claimed “the involvement of British specialists in the preparation of the Kyiv attacks.”
Russia has ramped up rhetoric against Britain as its invasion of Ukraine stalled, with Western officials saying the wild claims are a diversionary tactic
Demonstrations in central Moscow are rare and usually quickly put down by police – suggesting Thursday’s action was carried out with the tacit support of the authorities
The UK is likely to be targeted for leading Ukraine – having had more than any other country except the US
When anti-Putin demonstrators want to organize a demonstration in Moscow, it is almost impossible to get a permit.
Putin’s cronie Nikolai Patrushev – Secretary of Russia’s Security Council – repeated the accusations against Britain in a speech in Moscow today.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, representatives of the British naval forces took part [the] planning and implementation [of attacks],’ he said.
‘It’s impossible not to miss the text message that British Prime Minister Liz Truss sent to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken immediately after the gas pipelines blew up saying that ‘everything is settled’.’
He claimed that “literally from the first minutes after reports of explosions in the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines, an active campaign was launched to blame Russia.
“However, it is evident that the United States is the primary beneficiary of these terrorist attacks.”
Ms Zakharova had accused Bronnert of “criminal hypocrisy” as she laid flowers on the Solovetsky Stone on the eve of the Memorial Day to victims of political repression, while Britain was allegedly involved in the weekend’s drone strikes.
Russia’s Black Sea Fleet was targeted by drone boats over the weekend in an operation Moscow said was orchestrated by British special forces
Smoke billows over Sevastopol – Russia’s main naval base in Crimea – after it was attacked by drones over the weekend