Britain plans to restore direct dialogue with Russia's military leadership
Kyiv • UNN
The United Kingdom seeks to restore direct lines of communication with the Russian command to prevent incidents that could escalate into confrontations. The last high-level contact took place in 2022.
The United Kingdom seeks to restore direct lines of communication between its military and the Russian command in order to prevent incidents that could escalate into a direct confrontation. The Times reports, as UNN writes.
Details
The idea of restoring contacts emerged after an incident in June in the English Channel, when the Russian frigate "Admiral Grigorovich" opened fire after a British yacht approached it at a dangerous distance.
British officials fear that, in the absence of a direct line of communication, similar situations could quickly escalate. A representative of the British government confirmed to The Times that London is interested in restoring military contacts with Moscow.
The direct line of communication has been inactive for almost four years
According to her, the British Embassy in Russia should ensure the possibility of directly conveying London's position to the Kremlin, which helps protect British interests and prevent escalation.
Direct communication between the militaries of the two countries effectively ceased almost four years ago. The last time Russia's Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov and then-British Chief of the General Staff Admiral Tony Radakin spoke was in September 2022.
In October of the same year, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu called his British counterpart Ben Wallace over Moscow's claims about Ukraine possibly using a "dirty bomb." After that, contacts at the senior military level practically ceased.
In 2024, tensions intensified after Britain expelled the Russian military attaché. Moscow responded with a similar step.