Declassified UK - INTEL Issue 94 - Week to 1 March 2023

Posted: 2nd March 2023

DCUK-INTEL

Weekly public intelligence brief on UK foreign & security policies:

For members of Declassified UK only

Issue 94 – Week to 1 March 2023

EUROPE

Russia/Ukraine

UK defence secretary Ben Wallace ruled out sending British Typhoon jets to Ukraine in the short term, claiming that the jets would be too complex for Ukrainian pilots to handle without sufficient training.
Wallace also said that the UK government was considering sending more Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine “if they are used effectively”.
Boris Johnson urged the UK government to “break the ice” by sending fighter jets to Ukraine, and warned China against making the “historic mistake” of supplying arms to Russia.
The UK government added new sanctions against Russia, including banning “the export of every item the Russian military has been found using in Ukraine”.
It was reported that elite Afghan commandos who were originally trained by the West may be fighting alongside Russian Wagner Group mercenaries in Ukraine.
At the United Nations General Assembly, the UK government votedfor a motion which called for “diplomatic efforts to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine”. At the same time, UK prime minister Rishi Sunak was declaring that it was “time for Ukraine to seize the opportunity to make real progress on the battlefield”.

Northern Ireland

Declassified reported on how the Ministry of Defence is still refusing to release Ben Wallace’s 30-year-old citation for his “distinguished service” as a Scots Guard officer in West Belfast. The citation relates to an event on 19 May 1992 during one of Wallace’s two tours of Northern Ireland, but the public is not allowed to know the details.
Declassified also revealed new evidence which shows “how the British army, backed by MI5, covered up a vicious black propaganda campaign in Northern Ireland and blocked an independent inquiry” over fears that it would “revive claims they colluded with Loyalist paramilitaries”.

Germany

The UK and German Air Forces conducted a series of exercisesin preparation for their “first integrated NATO air policing mission”.

Estonia

The British army completed a two-week long exercise, named Winter Camp, in Estonia. The exercise formed part of the UK-led NATO Battlegroup in the Baltic state.

ASIA

India

The UK government’s climate finance aid is linked to a land-grabbing operation “under the guise of renewable energy like solar” in Badi, India, it was revealed. At least 20 families are set to lose their homes to make way for a new solar park which will span around 1,066 hectares.

Turkmenistan

The UK government held a “structured dialogue” with Turkmenistan which focused on “foreign policy and cooperation”, including “Ukraine and Afghanistan” as well as “cooperation in the fight against terrorism”.

China

UK foreign secretary James Cleverly held a call with Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang, during which Cleverly “set out the need for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and UK concerns over human rights abuses in Xinjiang and developments in Hong Kong”.
The UK government developed a new phrase to position itself towards China: “robust pragmatism”. Foreign Office minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan explained the phrase in parliament, stating that “China poses a systemic challenge to our values and interests… However, the UK cannot ignore China’s significance in world affairs”.

MIDDLE EAST

Israel

UK foreign secretary James Cleverly told MPs that the UK has not engaged with far-right Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and has “no current plans to do so”. Cleverly, however, rejected the “apartheid” descriptor for Israel and the UK continues with a secret military cooperation agreement.

Syria

The UK government’s independent terrorism adviser said that the Syrian camp holding Shamima Begum “could become Britain’s Guantanamo” if she and other women who joined ISIS are not allowed to return to the UK.
Even after the earthquake, the UK government reiterated that it would not lift sanctions on Syria. In November, the UN called on states to lift “catastrophic” sanctions which are “perpetuating and exacerbating the destruction and trauma suffered by the Syrian people since 2011”.

Saudi Arabia

The British Royal Air Force began five weeks of training exercises with the dictatorship of Saudi Arabia at its airbase in Lincolnshire. The Saudi Arabian air force is accused of war crimes amid over 20,000 bombing raids on Yemen.

Yemen

Declassified revealed that Martin Griffiths, the UN’s current humanitarian chief, “has close links to the vice-president of a private energy group which ahs had significant financial interests in the oil sectors of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates”. This follows a series of investigations about conflicts of interest surrounding Griffith’s appointment at the UN.

Iran

The Iranian government announced that it will close down the British embassy in Tehran and impose new sanctions on the UK.
The British navy announced that it had intercepted “Iran missiles” that it claims were headed for Yemen.

AMERICAS

United States

Boris Johnson reportedly declared “F*ck the Americans” after being told to support Rishi Sunak’s Brexit deal to please the White House. In doing so, Johnson has jeopardised US-UK relations, according to former UK ambassador to the US Peter Westmacott.

SECRECY

The UK government claimed in parliament that it was “not possible” to determine how much funding it has provided to the British army’s information warfare unit, the 77th Brigade.

MILITARY

It was reported that the British army’s “troubled” Ajax tank project is now back on track. To date, £5.5bn has been spent on the programme without any Ajax tanks being successfully produced.

ROYALS

Declassified published an article by Graham Smith, CEO of campaign organisation Republic, which challenged the undemocratic nature of the monarchy. “The UK needs a democratic alternative that makes us participants, not spectators, in our governance”, Smith wrote.

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