Russian officials have angrily rejected the conclusions of the Russia report, accusing the UK of taking a “leading role in Russophobia” and seeking to distract from a loss of status due to the Brexit crisis.
They have also claimed the report cleared Moscow of attempts to influence the 2016 Brexit referendum, echoing a talking point popular among leave backers in the UK who do not want to see the results of the vote undermined.
“If it was at all surprising, it was in lifting the suspicion on Russia for Brexit,” said Konstantin Kosachev, the head of the foreign affairs committee of Russia’s Federation Council, a lawmaking body, in written remarks on Tuesday. “Everything else is there in full … from Scotland to the world order, which Russia is also trying to undermine.”
In reality, the long-delayed document had said the British government had failed to prepare or conduct any proper assessment of Kremlin attempts to interfere with the Brexit vote.
The Scottish National party MP Stewart Hosie said the government had “actively avoided” investigating possible Russian interference in the Brexit referendum, a situation the report called “in stark contrast to the US handling of allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election”.
Kosachev’s claims of total exoneration were echoed by some of the loudest pro-Brexit voices in the UK, who were also keen to spin the report in their favour despite its indictment of the intelligence services for failing to carry out a thorough investigation.
“It was all a hoax – apologies are now required,” wrote the Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, saying the report showed “no evidence of Russian involvement with leave.eu or me in the referendum”. The official account for Leave.Eu tweeted: “Intelligence report kills Kremlin conspiracy.”
Otherwise, the 50-page document accusing Russians of a campaign of cyber-attacks, buying influence, spying and other allegations met the chilly reception that could be expected in Moscow.
Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the foreign ministry, said the report was “no sensation”.
She also called the report “Russophobia”, a term that has become a standard response to accusations against Moscow, including in the aftermath of the 2018 Salisbury attacks that were traced back to Russian military intelligence.
Vladimir Dzhabarov, another lawmaker, said the British “periodically toss out some helping of lies about Russia”, comparing the accusations to those in the Skripal case or the 2006 poisoning of the ex-FSB agent and defector Alexander Litvinenko, who died after his tea was spiked with polonium in London. Russia has also denied any connection to his death.
“They accuse Russia of meddling in their internal affairs, including in elections. There’s nothing new for us here, this is the standard practice of the British,” said Dzhabarov.
Officials and politicians in Russia are often eager to comment on the latest accusations of meddling from abroad. It often drives evening news coverage and debate-style television shows.
“The charges are once again unfounded, unsubstantiated and unconvincing,” said Kosachev, a regular commentator.
Kosachev called the allegations that Russia had sought to infiltrate and influence British politics “dangerous” and compared them to “conspiracy theories ... sucked from one’s fingers”.
