LONDON, July 12. /TASS/. The Russian embassy in the United Kingdom believes that London’s accusations against Russia of carrying out the so-called hybrid actions allegedly aimed against the interests of Great Britain are groundless, the press secretary of the Russian diplomatic mission told TASS on Friday.
"We would like to specifically point out that refusal to hold professional dialogue and provide any proof to the Russian side and the public is a testament that there is simply no such evidence. Citing national security interests, public order and so on as the reason behind the refusal to share information looks like unnatural tricks that cannot convince anyone," the Russian diplomat said.
He recalled that on July 11 Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Alan Duncan told the Parliament that British radio electronic intelligence agencies play the leading role in countering hybrid threats against the British interests, such as the attack in Salisbury. Duncan also said that last year the British Foreign Secretary put the blame for a number of cyber attacks on various targets such as a small TV broadcasting company in the UK and a part of the Ukrainian transport system on the Russian military intelligence.
"We will not judge how the radio electronic intelligence and the Salisbury incident are connected. Unless it is cyber intelligence officers who are the primary source of the "data", published by infamous Bellingcat. Speaking about the "cyber attacks", then immediately after these statements were put forth, the Russian side demanded that London share the facts that led to such conclusions. However, the British side blatantly ignored our appeal, which by the way runs counter to all the basics of diplomatic practices and simple politeness," the press secretary pointed out.
"By the way, he continued, it should be specifically pointed out that the representatives of this small TV broadcasting company in the UK, which the Foreign Office is so glad to mention, said that they have no complaints to Russia in the course of our conversation with them." Moreover, the Russian diplomat added that it is the actions of the British intelligence services, which seized a large body of data without explaining the reasoning and refusing to share any information in the course of the investigation, that raise the biggest questions in the company.
The diplomat recalled that Russia had been offering the British side to hold expert consultations to resolve any concerns in the cyber sphere for a number of years, but London failed to come up with a clear answer.