Embassy reply to BBC Radio 4 regarding its podcast series “Intrigue. Mayday” on the White Helmets and James Le Mesurier
There are several points that we would like to stress in relation to the issues you are considering to include in your series. First of all, we are appalled by the whole method the BBC uses in this particular work, defining the Russian position or statements as “false”, apparently by default, without providing any evidence. Moreover, judging by your letter, it is Russia which has to do the job of persuading the BBC in credibility of its actions and statements, rather than vice versa. We do not think this peculiar form of journalism should be considered a professional one by any standards.
Referring to the subject of the BBC Series – White Helmets and James Le Mesurier – the Russian position is well-founded. Vast amounts of evidence on the ground as well as intelligence information which Russia has at its disposal unequivocally point to direct links between the White Helmets and terrorist organisations operating in Syria. Various reports, presentations, films, video footage and photos have been shown to the international community both by the Russian authorities and civil society actors in Russia and in the West to highlight the provocative and illegitimate nature of the work carried out by the White Helmets. They have performed a number of cynical actions aimed at discrediting the Syrian authorities and promoting the Western narrative centered around a regime change in Damascus. This includes fake and false-flag chemical attacks, spreading disinformation, etc.
On James Le Mesurier, it is credibly known that he was an officer of the British Secret Intelligence Service, MI6. Russia has solid information on his links with terrorist organizations in Syria as well as in Kosovo. James Le Mesurier was found dead soon after these links were exposed. Speculations on Russian involvement in his death, convenient as they are, are part of a deliberate disinformation campaign against Russia, in which the BBC is sadly participating.
Turning to Vanessa Beeley as well as other researchers and investigative journalists, it is important to understand and admit that the views that do not follow UK official statements cannot be automatically referred to as “discredited” – you have to discredit them first, provide facts that contradict them or are inconsistent with them. Ms Beeley is just one of many open minded and independent experts, including those from the OPCW, who express serious and well-founded concerns over the suspicious nature of the “chemical attacks” in Syria.
It is quite odd to use the expression “misleading and unevidenced claims” with regards to the false flag chemical attacks and the surrounding circumstances when even one of your colleagues, Riam Dalati, BBC’s Syria producer, tweeted on 13 February 2019: “After 6 months of investigations, I can prove without a doubt that the Douma Hospital scene was staged”.
During their visit to the site of that alleged attack, a group of Russian experts gathered evidence, including testimonies of local residents, who had been paid to take part in the “performance” by the White Helmets. The report by Maxim Grigoryev, Director of The Foundation for Democracy Studies, proving the staged nature of those incidents, can be found here: http://democracyfund.ru/userfiles/THE%20%20WHITE%20HELMETS%20.pdf. Some witnesses have also spoken publicly to the media and given statements in person at the OPCW Headquarters. Unfortunately, neither the report, which was presented in London and several other capitals, nor the statements of witnesses have received good coverage in the UK media, including the BBC. This is a further manifestation of your biased approach to the issue.
It is upsetting that the UK Government continues to defend and support those who use Syrian civilians in their games. We urge the UK Government to reconsider its position towards the White Helmets and, more broadly, to the Syrian conflict in order to bring peace and stability back to Syria.
Three years have now passed since the highly publicized incident in Salisbury. So far we have learnt little on what really happened. The British authorities laid the blame on Russia for an alleged use of chemical weapons on the British soil. Such a serious accusation however was not backed by any facts, proof or other sort of relevant information. Being ungrounded, it cannot be considered credible.
The representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Turkey as guarantors of the Astana format: 1. Reaffirmed their strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic as well as to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and highlighted that these principles should be universally respected and complied with;
Russia has its own views on global developments and we openly express them and take practical actions to uphold them, unlike a huge number of other countries who have their own views too but keep mum. The West doesn’t like this so it chose aggressive deterrence of Russian Federation. Sanctions are imposed by the West in order to feel satisfaction from the act of meting out “punishment”. But sanctions lead nowhere and cannot result in a change in our course on upholding Russia’s national interests.
Mr Navalny was detained, in full accordance with the law, for violating the terms of probation. He was convicted for fraud back in 2014, and the European Court on Human Rights dismissed his claim that the case was politically motivated. He was released on probation, but neglected to comply with its conditions even before his alleged “poisoning” last August. He was not bothered during his hospital stay, but after the discharge he continued to break probation rules and ignored the warnings of penitentiary authorities, which led to his current detention. He is not a “political prisoner”, but a common criminal, who flaunted the law to look like a victim for political gains.
Steve Rosenberg, BBC News: Mr President, ‘a new Cold War’ is an expression that one can hear more and more often when it comes to Russia-West relations. And we hear Russia regularly blame external forces for these tensions. It may be America, or Britain, or Nato. But after having been at the helm of power for 20 years, don’t you believe that you are at least partly responsible for the deplorable state of those relations, especially if one recalls Russia’s actions over the recent years, from annexing Crimea to using a chemical weapon on British soil, in Salisbury? Or are you not? Are Russian authorities ‘white and fluffy’? And when it comes to chemical weapons – have you read the Bellingcat report that sets out in detail that the attack on Alexey Navalny was orchestrated by the Russian State? Thank you.
Ambassador Andrei Kelin welcomed the participants of the Westminster Russia Forum. This year the event was held online due to coronavirus restrictions. His Excellency noted that for many years the forum has been an independent platform uniting everyone, no matter what their political views are, who would like to build up Russia-UK ties.
During the recent visit of Ukrainian President Zelensky to London the UK Government did not spare words to reiterate its full support for Ukrainian reforms and territorial integrity. New calls were made for the implementation of the Minsk Agreements, the premise being that it is Russia and “Russia-backed separatists” who hamper the political process. Yet the reality is quite the opposite. We believe it is important to set the record straight: the Minsk Agreements and political engagements based on them are being persistently and deliberately ignored by Ukraine itself (with the connivance and, often, encouragement of its Western backers).
The suggestion that the Russian State may conduct any kind of propaganda against the AstraZeneca vaccine is itself an example of disinformation. It is obviously aimed at discrediting Russia’s efforts in combating the pandemic, including the good cooperation we have established with the UK in this field.
On 5 October 2020 Russian Ambassador to the UK Andrei Kelin held an online meeting with members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Russia. Members of both the House of Lords and the House of Commons, representing all major political parties of the country, took part in the conversation.
The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stéphane Visconti of France, and Andrew Schofer of the United States of America) released the following statement today: The Co-Chairs strongly condemn the continued violence in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone as well as against targets in the territory of Armenia and Azerbaijan away from the Line of Contact, and express our alarm at reports of increasing civilian casualties. Targeting or threatening civilians is never acceptable under any circumstances. The Co-Chairs call on the sides to observe fully their international obligations to protect civilian populations.
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