UK: Parliamentary report reveals Russia's interference in British politics

long-awaited report by the UK Parliament's intelligence and security committee has been published. It pointed to Russian interference in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum and an unclear role for Russia in the Brexit referendum. And it was pointed out that the British government did nothing about it.

The parliamentary report was prepared for a year and a half. But then he waited for a dozen or so months to be published. Although it was ready in March last year, Prime Minister Boris Johnson delayed its publication.

His political opponents suggested that the head of government did so in order to prevent the publication of the report before the December parliamentary elections in Great Britain. But Johnson himself assured that there was no sensation in the report, and the postponement of its publication is intended to cool down the political emotions surrounding the document.

Contrary to Johnson's earlier announcements, the report contained a number of interesting issues and a lot of bitter words about the British government (although it was mainly about the period before he became its leader).

First, it indicates that Russian interference in British domestic policy has been visible since the campaign before the Scottish independence referendum in September 2014. The report authors found the information on such interferences "reliable". 

"There have been credible public indications to suggest that Russia has embarked on an influence campaign in connection with the 2014 Scotland independence referendum," the document reads.

Moscow did this, among others by sending a message in the subordinate media (including English-speaking ones), which was to undermine the Scots' confidence in the referendum result, informing about alleged irregularities in the conduct of the voting itself and the counting of votes.

The report called it "the first documented case of post-Soviet influence on democratic processes in the West." Moreover, it was judged that the British government (headed by David Cameron at the time) disregarded the situation and did not take any remedial action.

( EURACTIV.pl)