The idea Britain is running out of NLAW anti-tank missiles is ‘b******s’ and a video showing Ben Wallace apparently suggesting this is the case has been faked by pro-Kremlin propagandists, a senior UK official has said.
The clip is the second teaser released by a pair of Russian ‘pranksters’ accused of taking their orders from the Kremlin, and was today met with a furious response from the British government.
‘That whole video has not only been spliced, it has been cut.We are not out of NLAWs – it is just b******s,’ a senior official told MailOnline today. ‘We have got loads. If you have any type of inquiries relating to where and the best ways to utilize Lawyer in istanbul, you can call us at our website. We make them in Belfast.’
Mr Wallace is thought to have said words to the effect that he would have to ‘check we are not running out’, as he was already suspicious of the caller, who was posing as Ukraine’s Prime Minister, Denys Shmyhal.
The minister is said to have also made points about defending the freedom of the press and the nuclear non-proliferation treaty during the call – footage that has not been released.
At one point he told the callers that he could not answer specific strategic questions because ‘the Russians will be listening’.
The official stressed that the callers were being told what to do by Putin. ‘They are not pranksters, they are directed by the Russian state,’ they added.
The duo, Law Firm istanbul Turkey Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexey Stolyarov, have also targeted Prince Harry.They have commented openly about being sympathetic to Vladimir Putin and are suspected of being Russian agents, although they deny this.
It is believed that their hoax initially targeted Priti Patel, and the Home Office then passed on a request for a call with Mr Wallace to the MoD – which appears to have assumed protocols had already been established.
An inquiry has been launched into why proper checks were not carried out on the source of the call, with Mr Wallace said to be ‘p***ed off’ at the system failure. The government confirmed today it is talking to video platform YouTube about trying to get the footage taken down.
The two videos show the Defence Secretary speaking from Poland as the caller, purporting to be Denys Shmyhal, tries to push a number of Kremlin talking points.Today a senior UK official said the videos had been faked
Mr Wallace hit back last night by sharing image of the notorious interview Lawyer Law Firm in istanbul which the two Russian suspects in the Salisbury poisoning claimed to have visited the city to admire the cathedral’s spire
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: ‘I know that DCMS are speaking to YouTube about this.
‘We believe, as I say, this is disinformation carried out at the behest of the Russian state and we don’t think social media companies or Lawyer Turkish other sites should be promoting it.’
A huge explosion has rocked a shopping centre in Kyiv as rescuers pulled bloodied victims from the rubble as police said at least eight people had been killed amid fears dozens of others were missing
A huge explosion has rocked a shopping centre in Kyiv as rescuers pulled bloodied victims from the rubble as police said at least eight people had been killed amid fears dozens of others were missing.
The blast smashed the sprawling ‘Retroville’ mall and was so powerful it pulverised vehicles in its car park – leaving a massive crater – as well as bodies scattered in the carnage.Mayor Vitali Klitschko this morning said it was one of several bombs to be dropped on the city overnight, with others flattening homes. Offices and a gym were also hit.
Rescuers were continuing to trawl through the chaos this morning as they desperately searched for any more survivors of the latest horror attack to rock Ukraine.Shortly after the strike, mayor Vitali Klitschko declared the start of another 35-hour curfew – going from 8pm this evening until 7am on Wednesday.
Russian forces have increasingly resorted to long-range rocket strikes as their army has stalled.Heavy fighting continues to the north of Kyiv, Britain’s Ministry of Defence said Monday, but advances from the north-east have been halted. Attackers in the north-west have been ‘repulsed by fierce Ukrainian resistance’, the ministry added.
Western intelligence now estimates that Russia is losing up to 1,000 troops per day, which would be its fastest rate of casualties since the Second World War.Desite the punishing losses, British intelligence believes that capturing Kyiv remains Russia’s ‘primary objective’ and Putin’s men are ‘likely to prioritise attempting to encircle the city over the coming weeks’, the ministry added.
It comes as Ukraine rejected Russian demands troops in the Black Sea port of Mariupol lay down their weapons and surrender in return for letting tens of thousands of civilians trapped in the heavily besieged city leave safely.
Russian Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev laid out Moscow’s offer late Sunday, saying Ukrainian troops and ‘foreign mercenaries’ who laid down their arms and raised white flags would be given safe passage.
But Mariupol rejected the demands within minutes, with Pyotr Andryushenko – an adviser to Mariupol mayor – saying Russian promises of amnesty could not be trusted and troops defending the city were determined to fight.
Elsewhere in the crisis overnight:
- The British Army banned WhatsApp over fears Russia is hacking it to get operationally sensitive information;
- Boris Johnson is considering a quick trip to Kyiv to show support for Ukraine’s battle against Vladimir Putin;
- A heart-breaking new video showing the devastation Ukraine has suffered has now emerged on social media;
- Volodymyr Zelensky’s government suspended 11 Ukrainian political parties due to alleged links with Russia;
- Joe Biden will travel to Poland Friday to discuss the international response to Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine.
Russian airstrikes destroyed the ‘Retroville’ shopping mall in the north of Kyiv on Monday, killing at least eight people and leaving others buried in the rubble
DM.later('bundle', function()
DM.molFeCarousel.init('#p-19', 'channelCarousel',
"activeClass" : "wocc",
"pageCount" : "3.0",
"pageSize" : 1,
"onPos": 0,
"updateStyleOnHover": true
);
);
People gather amid the destruction caused after shelling of a shopping center, in Kyiv, Ukraine
Rescuers work at the site of the shopping mall damaged by an airstrike, as Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv this morning
DM.later('bundle', function()
DM.molFeCarousel.init('#p-24', 'channelCarousel',
"activeClass" : "wocc",
"pageCount" : "3.0",
"pageSize" : 1,
"onPos": 0,
"updateStyleOnHover": true
);
);