Classified UK Ministry Of Defense Documents On Russia Found At Bus Stop
By Donald Standeford, Correspondent - Follow -
Date Published: June 27th, 2021 02:10PM UTC
Last Modified: June 27th, 2021 02:10PM UTC
ENGLAND - Classified documents from the UK Ministry Of Defense have been found at a bus stop in Kent, England. The documents included sensitive data, including contact information and emails and information about the passage of the HMS Defender through waters near Crimea.
Russia has claimed that a UK destroyer, the HMS Defender passed through waters near Crimea and Russia was forced to fire warning shots and drop bombs ahead of the destroyer to force it to leave, after which stating that from now on they would target ships entering the area directly without firing warning shots.
The UK denied the claims, saying that the incident didn't happen in spite of the video footage that Russia released of the incident in question after it took place.
The 50 page classified document found indicate that the UK Ministry Of Defense was aware that Russia might respond with aggression upon entering waters near Crimea saying, "Following the transition from defense engagement activity to operational activity, it is highly likely that RFN (Russian navy) and VKS (Russian air force) interactions will become more frequent and assertive".
The documents also contain slide presentations for the passage of the HMS Defender through Crimean waters, and outline plans for possible military presence in Afghanistan after the United States withdrawal from the region is complete but due to the sensitivity of the information most of it cannot be released to the public.
The documents designate the path of the HMS Defender as "innocent passage through Ukrainian territorial waters" with slide shows depicting two alternate routes, one of which was declared "a safe and professional direct transit from Odessa to Batumi".
One passage depicted close to Crimea was stated to "provide an opportunity to engage with the Ukrainian government … in what the UK recognizes as Ukrainian territorial waters".
Three different possible reactions from Russia were outlined, including "safe and professional" and "neither safe no professional".
An investigation by the UK Ministry of Defense is underway to find out just how the sensitive, classified documents ended up at the bus stop. The person who tipped off the Ministry of Defense about the documents has chosen to remain anonymous.
The Ministry of Defense commented on the matter saying that the HMS Defender "conducted innocent passage through Ukrainian territorial waters in accordance with international law".
A spokesperson from the Ministry of Defense also said, "As the public would expect, the Ministry of Defense plans carefully. As a matter of routine, that includes analyzing all the potential factors affecting operational decisions. HMS Defender conducted innocent passage through Ukrainian territorial waters in accordance with international law."
"The Ministry of Defense was informed last week of an incident in which sensitive defense papers were recovered by a member of the public. The department takes the security of information extremely seriously and an investigation has been launched. The employee concerned reported the loss at the time. It would be inappropriate to comment further" they continued.
