Secret documents relating to
the Royal Navy ship HMS Defender and the British Army were recovered from a bus
stop in Great Britain.
Documents obtained at a bus
stop in Kent say Russia could have reacted if the plane crossed Ukrainian
waters off the Crimean coast on Wednesday.
They also outlined plans for a
British military presence in Afghanistan following the end of the US-led NATO
operation.
The government says an
investigation into the matter has been opened.
"We are investigating an
incident in which confidential defense documents ended up in the hands of a
member of the public," the ministry said in a statement. It was learned
that a concerned employee of the Ministry of Defense had reported the loss of
documents.
The nearly 50-page documents
were found Tuesday morning at the bus stop in Kent.
A British citizen contacted The
News Agency on condition of anonymity when he learned of the sensitivity
of the documents. The News Agency believes the documents, which include emails
and PowerPoint presentations, were prepared in the office of a senior defense
ministry official.
In the documents, the Ministry
of Defense mentions a mission called "Innocent Passage in Ukrainian
Waters" and is related to the Royal Navy destroyer Type 45 and HMS
Defender. It was rumored that the plane would have guns and helicopters and
that Russia would likely respond aggressively.
On Wednesday 19 Russian warships
and two coast guard ships passed by the British ship, 19 kilometers from the
Crimean coast.
The Moscow Defense Ministry
said the patrol plane fired warning shots and dropped a jet bomb on the way to
the British plane. But the British government denies this, saying no warning
shots were fired.
British officials called the
mission "Operation Detroit". It was discussed by the leaders on
Monday, as stated in the documents. Officials speculated on Russia's response
if the HMS Defender passed close to Crimea.
An official from the British
Army's Permanent Joint Headquarters (PJHQ) in Northwood asked: "What do we
think of a possible 'Welcome Party'?"
The documents show that the
recent incidents between Russian forces and the British Professional Strike
Group, led by HMS Queen Elizabeth, are unsurprising and "live up to
expectations".
But officials knew it was
about to change.
He warned at one point that
"turning this defense operation into an operational one has the potential
to increase incidents with the Russian Navy and Air Force and make their nature
more serious."
The slides produced at the PJHQ
show two corridors, one of which is called "a safe and professional direct
route from Odisha to Batumi", near the far southwest, to "separate
the traffic". There is also a short walk through the "Wali
Scheme" (TSS).
According to a slide, the
route, which Britain recognizes as Ukraine's territorial waters, will offer the
opportunity to negotiate with the Ukrainian government.
Three types of Russian
responses were described, ranging from "confident and professional"
to "unsafe and unprofessional".
If Russia chooses an aggressive
response, then: radio alerts will be issued, Coast Guard ships will approach
100 meters, and warplanes will continue to fly overhead.
It was considered an
alternative path that could keep HMS Defender out of the waters of controversy.
The presentation said that
choosing this route could have avoided a confrontation, but the problem was
that Russia used it as proof of Britain's "fear of fleeing" and there
is also an opportunity to claim that Britain Britain has finally accepted
Moscow's claim on Crimean territorial waters.
A Defense Ministry spokesperson
said: "The Defense Ministry plans carefully based on the expectations of
the public. This includes examining all possible factors influencing
operational decisions.
But in addition to military
planning, officials expected tensions.
The presence of reporters offers
the possibility of independent confirmation of the ship's actions, he said. I
have a solid and legitimate statement. "
Following the controversy over
the HMS Defender mission, documents uncovered in Kent confirm that the choice
of the TSS route was a deliberate decision by the British government to show
support for Ukraine.
Does it have anything to do
with naval demonstrations?
In this incident, the warships
were actually used for diplomatic purposes. But his main goal was to
deliberately provoke Russia. (However, these feelings are not described in the
documents.)
Following Russia's annexation
of Crimea in 2014, this was a clear sign of support for freedom of navigation
and Ukraine's sovereignty.
According to the 1982 United
Nations Act, a passenger on a foreign ship is "innocent" if he does
not endanger the peace or security of the state's coast.
In the eyes of the world, this
state is Ukraine, not Russia. But the documents do not speak only of this.
It includes reports on arms
exports and sensitive comments on areas where there may be competition between
Britain and its European allies.
Some of the statements
contained therein have been attributed to Defense Secretary Ben Wallace,
reflecting the post-Bridget crisis. He says the six-member European Military
Weapons Organization (OCCAR) should not be "hijacked" by the European
Commission.
It contains accounts of
Monday's talks between the US and the UK, commenting on President Biden's
performance in the early months.
He said that President Biden's
focus was initially on China and the Indo-Pacific and that "there is still
a lot of continuity from the previous administration."
He suggested what Britain
should ask of the United States. "We should have this meeting to see how
prepared the administration is and if the desire to consult with allies is
reflected in the process."
Sensitive military proposals
Several pages have been marked
as sensitive and confidential. According to the government, this method of
disclosure is used at the grassroots level "where information is kept
confidential because it is clearly and legitimately requested".
But a document labeled
"Britain's only secret" cited Ben Wallace's private secretary as
"very sensitive suggestions" for British military activity in
Afghanistan. The information comes at a time when US-led NATO forces must
completely withdraw from Afghanistan.
The paper analyzes the American
demand for British aid in various places. He asked if British special forces
would remain in Afghanistan after the total withdrawal.
According to local media,
Britain is already planning to leave some forces in Afghanistan.
Due to the sensitivity of the
documents, the THE NEWS AGENCY decided not to provide these details as they
could pose a threat to British or other personnel in Afghanistan.
But he warns that the security
situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating.
It is feared that any British
presence in Afghanistan could be the target of a complex network of militants.
"There is a way out," he said.
"Afghanistan is already
becoming a more dangerous country," the documents say.
"The atmosphere that we
and the United States used to enjoy while enjoying the whole country, the reduction
in the number of NATO forces is making the situation worse."
He also claimed that no Britons
had died from the US-led operation with the Taliban in February 2020, but there
was no denying that the future would have been the same.
Surprisingly, the documents
cover a number of important issues and this is an embarrassing opportunity for
the UK Ministry of Defense.
A detailed investigation into
the incident is currently underway and attempts are being made to find out how
the documents got there during a roadside rain at the bus stop on Tuesday
morning.
John Haley, Labor's shadow
defense secretary, says he wonders how the ministry documents came out. He said
he wanted Wallace to quickly complete the investigation and report to the House
of Commons, assuring the public that there was no threat to any military
mission.
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