“He is one of the main ideologues of the war against Russia to the last Ukrainian. European leaders should think about where such a policy is leading.” Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry in the Kremlin, said: “The moral of history is: do not seek to destroy Russia: it cannot be destroyed. You can break your teeth on it – and then choke it.” Mr. Johnson may regard these insults as badges of honor. He will certainly not object to being called a leader in supporting Ukraine against Russian aggression: although the volume of American military and economic support to Kyiv exceeds that of other Western states. But the UK is now leaderless, without a prime minister who has any power. To continue with the Russian theme, Boris Johnson is now the head of a Potemkin government – a fake and hollow structure. This could go on for months, and it is a vulnerable place for the country to be in these uncertain times. Putin’s Russia will see a leaderless UK as an opportunity, it is claimed (AP) In Ukraine, the current situation of the British government puts British nationals captured in the conflict and held in the separatist “Donetsk People’s Republic” at even greater risk. All four prisoners have fought for Ukraine in the war. Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner were sentenced to death by a court in Donetsk late last month. Two others, Andrew Hill, an army volunteer, and Dylan Healy, an aid worker, have been charged with the same offenses – “violent seizure of power” and “terrorism” – and it is feared they could face the same brutal sentences. In London, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said in a statement: “We condemn the exploitation of prisoners of war and civilians for political purposes and we have put it to Russia. “We are in constant contact with the government of Ukraine about their cases and fully support Ukraine in its efforts to release them.” There has been talk of releasing the four in prisoner exchanges. One option discussed is that they are released in exchange for Viktor Medvechuk, a pro-Russian oligarch with Vladimir Putin as godfather to his daughter, who is being held by Ukrainian authorities. Moscow is in a strong position in the prisoner negotiations. The total number of Russian soldiers held by Ukraine has dropped to 550 from 900 in April after a series of exchanges. Russia has more than 5,600 Ukrainian soldiers in captivity, a number that is expanding with the surrender of 2,500 in Mariupol. “The Russians will be rubbing their hands with glee at the instability in this country. They will seek to exploit if they can,” said Sir William Patey, one of Britain’s most senior former diplomats, who served as ambassador in some of the most dangerous diplomatic posts as ambassador to Iraq, Afghanistan and Sudan. “We can expect the Russians to be active in sowing discord, especially if elections were to be held soon. Other nations such as Iran and China will be happy that the UK is out of the game for the time being. “There has already been malaise in this country of late, with the government under attack on institutions and then Boris Johnson focusing on surviving rather than leading the country and ministers maneuvering to replace him. So we’ve already had a kind of paralysis and it’s going to get worse.” Boris Johnson announced his resignation outside Downing Street (EPA) Robert Emerson, a security analyst, commented: “When your adversary is weak, you test them and that’s an approach you might see some adversary states now taking towards the UK. The Allies would also be wary of deals, not knowing who would emerge as prime minister. So we’re heading for an interesting period.” An incident that just took place in Iran may have been a sign of this “test”. The state-run Fars news agency in Tehran reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had arrested the British deputy ambassador, Giles Whittaker, on espionage charges. The FCDO in London dismissed reports of the arrest as “totally false”. State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin welcomes Mr Johnson’s downfall (AP) Simon Sircliffe, the British ambassador in Tehran, tweeted that “these reports that our Deputy Ambassador is currently being held are very interesting… He actually left Iran last December at the end of his post.” Iranian officials insist, however, that a British diplomat was indeed arrested and warned against “further such activity”. The day after the “seizure” story broke, the UK Ministry of Defense announced that a Royal Navy ship had seized Iranian weapons from vessels leaving Iranian ports. The action was taken because the mission, which included missiles, was en route to Houthi forces in Yemen, in violation of UN resolutions, it claimed. The seizures, from HMS Montrose, took place in January and February, but the operation may not have been publicized to avoid inflaming Iranian sensibilities. There was no discernible reason to announce it now except – apparently – as a warning to Tehran. Such shadowy powerplay may well continue as Britain navigates uncharted waters at the end of an extraordinary political week that has left the country rudderless.
