The UK government is considering taking a last resort measure in the form of disconnecting the Russian Federation from the SWIFT international interbank system in the event of a hypothetical country invasion of Ukraine. This was reported on Saturday, January 22, by the Daily Telegraph newspaper.
According to the publication, departments and intelligence agencies of the United Kingdom are holding numerous daily coordination meetings to prepare for any escalation of tension on Russia’s border with Ukraine.
In particular, according to the Daily Telegraph interlocutors, the UK is working with the involvement of NATO and is in close coordination with the US to resolve the conflict, “seeking a diplomatic path, but preparing a package of sanctions that will hit the Russian economy to the very heart.”
It is specified that the British ambassadors were instructed to promote the idea of introducing economic restrictions that weaken Russia if the situation around Ukraine worsens.
In addition, the publication cites the words of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson that new sanctions should also apply to the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. According to sources close to Johnson, he “fears that some of the world leaders may not be fully aware of how much the situation on the Ukrainian border is deteriorating, or do not fully understand the threat” allegedly coming from Russia.
On January 22, the British Foreign Office accused the Russian intelligence services of allegedly planning to imprison a pro-Russian leader in Kiev, as the former deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Yevgeny Muraev was named in the ministry’s statement. At the same time, the Foreign Ministry of the Kingdom did not provide any evidence of its words.
In response, the Russian Foreign Ministry called the statements of the British Foreign Office nonsense and disinformation. The Russian Foreign Ministry also called on British colleagues to stop provocative activities and stop spreading nonsense, escalating tensions around Ukraine.
In addition, it turned out that the “pro-Russian leader in Kiev” Muraev has been under Russian sanctions since 2008. Muraev himself also confirmed that he is under Russian restrictions. According to him, all his accounts in the territory of the Russian Federation are blocked.
On January 18, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov urged people not to be guided by the information spread in foreign media that the European Union and the United States are considering imposing sanctions against Russian banks. As Peskov recalled, plans were previously discussed to disconnect Russia from SWIFT, but they were not implemented.
In the Western media, articles have repeatedly appeared about the allegedly possible Russian invasion of Ukraine. Against this background, American lawmakers are calling for tougher sanctions against Moscow. Russia has repeatedly rejected reports of an alleged possible invasion of Ukraine. On January 10, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov noted that Moscow had no intentions to attack Ukraine and could not have. He stressed that all measures for the combat training of troops are carried out within Russian territory.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
