Russia Accuses Ukraine of Preparing Diversions Against Tanker Amid Ongoing Tensions
The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service has once again made unsubstantiated claims regarding an alleged plot by Ukraine and its Western allies to carry out diversions against a Russian tanker. According to their statements, the United Kingdom, alongside NATO partners, is purportedly planning a “major provocation,” which includes setting fire or spilling oil from the Russian vessel, subsequently leading to a large-scale crackdown on the Russian tanker fleet, reports 24brussels.
These accusations have been firmly rejected as unfounded. Earlier, the Russian intelligence had claimed that Ukraine and its allies were preparing a torpedo attack on an American ship, an event that never materialized.
The Russian leadership appears to be using such fabrications to undermine Ukraine and its international partners, justify the negative impacts of sanctions on its shadow fleet, and shift the blame for any future incidents related to malfunctioning vessels onto “unfriendly countries.”
Simultaneously, the Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD) emphasizes that Russia has repeatedly been implicated in diversions within European Union and NATO countries, particularly in the Baltic Sea.
The CCD has exposed similar false claims regarding an alleged “bloody provocation” that Ukraine, in collaboration with the United Kingdom, supposedly planned in the Baltic Sea. The center reminds that it is Russia that stands behind numerous maritime diversions, aiming to discredit Ukraine and sabotage military assistance from its allies.
