Statements by UK officials regarding increased military aid to Ukraine prompted Russian accusations that such support risks escalating the war, despite the officials walking back their comments. According to the Institute for the Study of War, these claims are part of a Russian disinformation campaign aimed at undermining Western support for Ukraine.
On 30 September, newly appointed UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps told the Telegraph he discussed moving more training and production to Ukraine with Army leaders. However, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on 1 October the UK has no immediate plans to deploy instructors there, though training in Ukraine may be possible in the future. The UK would not send soldiers to fight, Sunak clarified.
In response, Russian Security Council Deputy Chair Dmitry Medvedev called Shapps’ earlier statement a “push” toward “World War III.” Medvedev often makes alarmist claims portraying Western aid as escalatory, part of a Russian operation to discourage such support, per the ISW.
Some Russian military bloggers also baselessly alleged the UK wants to help Ukraine train for operations in Crimea, spreading more disinformation. The bloggers point to Ukrainian strikes in Crimea as evidence of Western aid for such plans, but Ukraine likely aims to disrupt Russian supply lines amid Ukrainian counteroffensive operations in western Zaporizhzhia Oblast, ISW said,
“The Russian information space continues to falsely portray Western aid to Ukraine as escalatory in order to discourage continued Western support for Ukraine,” the Institute for the Study of War concluded.
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