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.
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.
We noted the EU’s October 2 decision to adopt new restrictive measures as regards Belarus. A comment declaring response measures has already been released by Belarusian officials. We see that instead of displaying restraint, which is so vital for stabilisation in Belarus, the European Union has once again resorted to the instrument of sanctions. This approach is unilateral and illegal. It undermines the prerogatives of the UN Security Council and leads to the further erosion of international law.
There is growing concern regarding the professional credentials of Permanent Representative of the United States to the Conference on Disarmament Robert Wood. On October 1, 2020, during a briefing hosted by the Foreign Press Association at the United Nations Office in Geneva he said that he did not know what Russia’s initiatives to prevent an arms race in outer space were about. As a reminder, for 40 years Russia (and earlier the USSR) has consistently advocated the drafting of a multilateral legally binding instrument that would prohibit the deployment of weapons of any kind, as well as the use or threat of force in outer space.
On 26 September 2020 Third Secretary of the Embassy Vadim Retyunskiy presented the Ushakov medal to the Arctic Convoys veteran Mr William Geoffrey ROBINSON who was awarded this military honour by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation for his personal courage and bravery displayed in WWII.
The Russian Federation has been acting in the most transparent manner in the situation around Mr. Alexey Navalny from the very beginning. At the request of relatives, he was promptly granted permission to travel to Germany for medical treatment, which he did without hindrance, once the doctors at the Omsk hospital managed to stabilize his condition. Moreover, Russian doctors passed on to their German colleagues the data they had collected on the patient's health condition and were ready to continue to work together for the sake of his speedy recovery.
One of today’s major strategic challenges is the risk of a large-scale confrontation in the digital field. A special responsibility for its prevention lies on the key players in the field of ensuring international information security (IIS). In this regard, we would like to once again address the US with a suggestion to agree on a comprehensive program of practical measures to reboot our relations in the field of security in the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs).
On 10 September 2020, Russian Ambassador Andrei Kelin hosted the former President of WorldSkills International Mr Simon Bartley at his residence to present him with a Certificate of Commendation from the Government of the Russian Federation awarded for his outstanding work in promoting the WorldSkills Russia movement.
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