Amid the escalating tensions between Russia and the West, Britain has accused the Kremlin of attempting to install a Moscow-aligned leader in Ukraine, specifically mentioning Yevhen Murayev by name. London stated that "Russian intelligence officers are in contact with several former Ukrainian politicians as part of plans for an invasion." The British Foreign Office confirmed it has information indicating that the Russian government is considering former Ukrainian MP Murayev as a potential candidate for a pro-Russia leadership role. However, the ministry did not provide any evidence to support its claims, which surfaced during a period of high tensions between Russia and the West regarding Moscow's troop buildup near its border with Ukraine, despite Moscow insisting it has no plans for invasion.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss tweeted: "We will not overlook the Kremlin's conspiracy to install a pro-Russia leadership in Ukraine. The Kremlin knows that military incursion would be a grave strategic mistake, and that the UK and our partners would impose a heavy price on Russia." U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Emily Horne stated: "This kind of conspiracy is extremely concerning. The Ukrainian people have the sovereign right to determine their future, and we stand with their democratically elected partners in Ukraine."
Murayev, a pro-Russia politician aged 45, opposes Ukraine's integration with the West. A survey conducted by the Razumkov Center in December 2021 placed him seventh among candidates in the 2024 presidential elections with 6.3 percent of the vote. Murayev told the British newspaper "Observer": "This is completely illogical. I am banned from entering Russia. Not only that, but money was confiscated from my father’s company there."
In response, the Russian Foreign Ministry dismissed these statements as "misinformation," accusing Britain and NATO of "escalating tensions" regarding Ukraine. The ministry posted on its Facebook account: "We urge the British Foreign Office to stop these provocative activities and cease spreading nonsense."
The British accusations came one day after senior U.S. and Russian diplomats failed to make significant progress in talks aimed at resolving the crisis over Ukraine, although they agreed to continue discussions. Russia presented security demands to the United States, including stopping NATO's eastward expansion and a commitment never to allow Ukraine to join NATO. Britain, which provided Ukraine with two thousand missiles and a team of military trainers last week, stated it has information indicating that Russian intelligence maintains contacts with "numerous" former Ukrainian politicians, including prominent figures linked to former President Viktor Yanukovych, who was close to Moscow. Yanukovych fled to Russia in 2014 after three months of protests against him and was sentenced in absentia to 13 years in prison for treason in 2019.
