Russia to submit proof to UK Ambassador about Oct 29 attack: Zakharova
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The British Defense Ministry's excessively quick response, which was already a rather telling sign, was another point Maria Zakharova brought up.
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Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova
The Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, said Russia will submit evidence of Britain's involvement in the attack on the Black Sea Fleet base in Sevastopol and the act of sabotage against the Nord Stream pipelines to Deborah Bronnert, the British Ambassador to Moscow, and will then make the basic information public.
"Of course, there can be no doubt that British intelligence services were involved in the terrorist attack on the Black Sea Fleet base in Sevastopol on October 29 and the act of sabotage against the Nord Stream pipeline. They will not be left without a reaction. We have stated this in the [UN] Security Council. We spoke about that publicly. And, of course, as I have already said, the British ambassador will be summoned and given the relevant materials. I promise you that basically the same materials that will be handed over as evidence to the British side will also be made available to the public at large," Zakharova said.
"In this particular case, we will comply with certain procedural formalities. As soon as the summoned ambassador has visited our building in Smolenskaya Square, we will share this information. It will be published on our resources: the Foreign Ministry’s website and accounts on social networks," she added.
Read next: Putin demands investigation into Black Sea attack
Additionally, Zakharova called attention to the British Defense Ministry's overly hasty response, which was already a rather telling sign.
"They tried to absolve themselves of responsibility for the terrorist attack. They said that they did not even know about anything like that. It was a very strange reaction. They have contacts, as they have always had, with the Russian Defense Ministry. In principle, they could have tried to clear up certain things. It has turned out that a priori they know the answers to all questions, which is strange. After all, please, do understand that no one doubts it was an attack. This is a confirmed, hard fact," she added.
In addition, Zakharova emphasized that by making an impromptu denial of involvement in the attack on the Black Sea Fleet base, Britain had put itself in a vulnerable position.
"They argue they had nothing to do with it (the attack). They should have at least asked what evidence we have. But they have in fact exposed themselves by making such a zealous and snap claim about their innocence. I reckon it can also be added to the heap of evidence as the British side’s inadvertent confession," she said.
Read next: Russia examining parts of UAVs used in Sevastopol attack: Moscow
This comes after Russia suspended its commitment to a landmark agreement that allowed vital grain exports from Ukraine after Kiev waged drone attacks on Russian ships in Crimea's Sevastopol.
After the Russian Army accused Ukraine of a massive drone attack on its Black Sea fleet, Russia made the announcement, while the UN urged the deal to remain in effect.
The deal, brokered in July by Turkey and the UN, was made to ease up the global food crisis.
