UK Government blames Russia for hoax calls

UK Government blames Russia for hoax calls

The UK government has publicly blamed Russia for hoax calls about the conflict in Ukraine.

The calls were made to British cabinet ministers.

Defense Secretary Ben Wallace and Home Secretary Priti Patel said they had been contacted last week.

Downing Street has now revealed, according to reports, an unsuccessful attempt was also made to contact Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries.

A No 10 spokesman added that further hoax calls to ministers are expected.

On Friday, Mr. Wallace blamed “Russian disinformation, distortion, and dirty tricks”.

Allegedly, Home Secretary Priti Patel then revealed she had received a similar call earlier in the week.

Boris Johnson’s spokesman told reporters that “the Russian state was responsible for the hoax telephone calls made to UK ministers last week”.

“This is standard practice for Russian information operations.

“Disinformation is a tactic straight from the Kremlin playbook to try to distract from their illegal activities in Ukraine and the human rights abuses being committed there.

“We are seeing a string of distraction stories and outright lies from the Kremlin, reflecting Putin’s desperation as he seeks to hide the scale of the conflict and Russia’s failings on the battlefield.”

The No 10 spokesman said there was guidance on how such calls should be handled.