MOSCOW, December 18. /TASS/. Relations between Moscow and London started to sour after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s speech at the Munich Security Conference in February 2007, Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Director Sergey Naryshkin said in an interview with TASS.
Asked whether he could identify a specific moment that marked the rift between Russia and the UK, Naryshkin replied: "Yes, the Munich speech."
"Later, on August 8, 2008, a coup unfolded in Ukraine, then Crimea returned to Russia, an event followed on June 2, 2014 by the shelling and artillery strikes against Donetsk, Lugansk and other settlements. The launch of the special military operation can also be viewed as such a turning point," he said.
"This has been a gradual process," Naryshkin concluded.