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Top secret Ministry of Defence documents on HMS Defender & British military found at BUS STOP after Black Sea stand-off

2021-06-27 00:00:00.0 太阳报-英国新闻原网页

TOP secret MOD documents containing details about HMS Defender and the UK military were found at a BUS STOP in an embarrassing blunder.

The explosive papers were found in a "soggy heap" behind the bus stop in Kent on Tuesday morning, a day before Defender was involved in a stand-off with Russian boats in the Black Sea, a report says.

The secret docs found at a bus stop in Kent revealed details about HMS Defender Credit: AFP

Consisting of 50 pages, the docs detailed Russia's expected reaction to warship HMS Defender sailing near Crimea on Wednesday.

Another page explained plans for a continued military presence in Afghanistan after Nato's withdrawal later this year, a BBC report says.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman told the Beeb that a staff member reported the loss of the secret papers.

The government has launched a probe into the incident, the report says.

An anonymous member of the public contacted the BBC when they found the papers at the bus stop.

According to the report, the docs, which contain emails and Powerpoint presentations, may have come from the office of a senior MOD official.

The papers showed that HMS Defender's "innocent passage through Ukrainian territorial waters", with its guns covered and helicopter stowed away, was expected to cause a reaction from Russia.

Ukraine and Russia have been at odds since Moscow annexed Crimea from Kiev in a move that received international condemnation.

On Wednesday, HMS Defender was shadowed by more than 20 Russian planes and two boats as it sailed 12 miles off the Crimean coast.

HMS Defender, HNLMS Evertsen and USS Laboon in operations in the Black Sea five days ago - with a Russian vessel visible on the horizon

MOD officials denied claims by Moscow that a Russian patrol boat fired warning shots at the British warship and that a jet dropped bombs into its path.

Meanwhile, the documents found at the bus stop show the mission through Ukrainian waters was dubbed 'Op Ditroite' and was the subject of high-level discussions on Monday evening.

"What do we understand about the possible 'welcome party'…?", an MOD official reportedly asked at a meeting.

The documents warned that Moscow's reaction would be "assertive."

"Following the transition from defence engagement activity to operational activity, it is highly likely that RFN (Russian navy) and VKS (Russian air force) interactions will become more frequent and assertive," the docs said.

The papers stated that the route near Crimea's south-west tip would "provide an opportunity to engage with the Ukrainian government… in what the UK recognises as Ukrainian territorial waters."

Three expected responses from Russia were outlined from "safe and professional" to "neither safe nor professional"

A second route was discussed which would have kept Defender away from Crimea.

However, while this would have avoided confrontation with Moscow, it risked the UK as being viewed as "scared/running away" from the sensitive issue in eastern Ukraine.

The docs say the UK government does not want Russia to claim that Britain has accepted Moscow's annexing of the territory.

According to the Beeb, the mission was "a clear endorsement of Ukraine's sovereignty."

Another document, addressed to the private secretary of Defence minister Ben Wallace, outlines recommendations to keep UK special forces in Afghanistan after withdrawal of Nato and US troops in September.

Yet, the papers warn that "any UK footprint in Afghanistan that persists… is assessed to be vulnerable to targeting by a complex network of actors."