By Ben Kerrigan-
There would be a dramatic increased response” from the west if Vladimir Putin uses chemical weapons in Ukraine, technology minister, Chris Phillip has said.
The technology minister did not state what the response would be, but it is clear he was referring to an intervention by the west which would be intended to counteract the the use of such forbidden weapons.
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Philp added to concerns expressed by Boris Johnson and the White House that Russia was sharing disinformation online to create a false narrative that Ukraine is preparing to use chemical weapons, so that Russia can launch its own chemical attack.
Philp told Sky News: “We have seen in the last 24 or 48 hours what appear to be bits of disinformation published by Russian state outlets, including in fact the Russian embassy here in London, putting on things like Twitter information that appear to be creating a false narrative that Ukrainians are considering using chemical weapons, which is clearly ridiculous and totally untrue.
“Sometimes they do that in preparation but I hope that’s not what they’re contemplating. The use of chemical weapons in any theatre of war, certainly one where there are lots of civilians, is totally unacceptable.”
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Philp said any such use of weapons would “trigger an increased response from the west”.
He told Times Radio: “Clearly, the use of chemical weapons, especially in an invasion where there are a very large number of civilians, would be an outrage against humanity. I would say to anybody in Russia thinking about this: do not cross that line, do not inflict any more misery and suffering on the Ukrainian people.
“They’ve already been shooting civilians who are fleeing down humanitarian escape corridors, they’ve been bombing and shelling hospitals including a children’s/maternity hospital. Do not go any further in inflicting misery on the Ukrainian people.
“It will trigger an increased response from the west, there’s a dramatic increased response, there’s no question about that. I’m not going to speculate about the form that’s going to take or pre-empt it, but that’s a line that Russian governments should not cross.”
Russia is believed to be a dirty player both in war and peacetime. The Russians have long been accused of using cyber attacks to influence the U.S elections.
In the July 2018 indictment by the Justice Department of twelve Russian GRU intelligence officials posing as “a Guccifer 2.0 persona” for conspiring to interfere in the 2016 elections was for hacking into computers of the Clinton campaign, the Democratic National Committee, state election boards, and secretaries of
Spreading false and distorted information – called “dezinformatsiya” after the Russian word for “disinformation” – is an age-old strategy for coordinated and sustained influence campaigns that have interrupted the possibility of level-headed political discourse. Russian hackers were found to be employing new tactics, tools, and ways to disguise their role in the attacks.
A particular Russian hacking group, called Strontium but widely known as Fancy Bear or APT28 and believed to operate out of Russia’s military intelligence agency, GRU. They were believed to be part of a group of multiple cyber-espionage actors who were bent on deceptively influencing the U.S elections. Russians are known to always deny allegations of foul play in the same way they denied suspicions they were planning to invade Ukraine.
The fear Russia may use chemical and biological weapons against Ukranians is a worrying thought because of the massive escalation such an act will have on the war on all angles. The dramatic response from the west could spiral out of control and lead to allies of Russia getting involved in an all out war which could engulf most of the world, if not the entire world.
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