https://apple.news/AItn9gZ2pQduH-5ioCgQZAg
The UK Says Russia Is Planning To Overthrow Ukraine’s Government And Install A Pro-Kremlin Leader
BAKHMUT, Ukraine — Russia has drawn up plans to install a pro-Kremlin former member of parliament to lead Ukraine as it considers a new invasion of the country and the overthrow of its central government, according to a British assessment shared with BuzzFeed News.
The assessment, provided by the UK Foreign Office, alleges that Russian intelligence officers currently involved in the planning for an attack on Ukraine are also collaborating with several former Ukrainian officials who fled to Moscow in winter 2014 and are looking to return to positions of power in their homeland.
“The information being released today shines a light on the extent of Russian activity designed to subvert Ukraine, and is an insight into Kremlin thinking,” Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in a statement.….
The UK Foreign Office said Russian intelligence services currently involved in the planning of a new attack on Ukraine are in close contact with several former Ukrainian officials who served in the Yanukovych government.
They include: Serhiy Arbuzov, former first deputy prime minister and acting prime minister; Andriy Kluyev, former first deputy prime minister and Yanukovich’s chief of staff; Vladimir Sivkovich, former deputy head of the National Security and Defense Council; and Mykola Azarov, former prime minister.
In December, Ukrainian president Zelensky said that Russia was plotting a coup against him. It is unclear whether that alleged plan is connected to the current one the British government says it uncovered.….