Putin under pressure to attack British military

NEWSWEEK

Russia is being encouraged by some of its own to target the British military for helping Ukraine carry out a successful attack in the Black Sea last week.

Dozens of Russian servicemembers were declared missing or wounded after the 370-foot Ropucha-class Novocherkassk large landing ship was hit on December 26 in Crimea by Ukrainian cruise missiles. Moscow admitted damage to the ship, which carried a crew of up to 87 service members.

The missiles used by Ukraine were reportedly provided by the U.K. Ministry of Defense, which also aided Kyiv with satellite reconnaissance and target guidance. It has led to some, including Russian political scientist Yuri Baranchik, to encourage Moscow to attack the British warship HMS Diamond.

“This is a blow from Britain/the United States and a desire to interrupt the positive background from the capture of Marinka, as well as the recent successes of the Russian Armed Forces at the front,” Barinchik wrote on Telegram, describing the attack as a “training exercise” for a potential future strike on Russia’s naval components in the Northern Fleet.