Russia says Britain must take first step to restore direct military contacts with Moscow

The Russian Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that Britain must take the first step to restore direct military contacts with Moscow.

Commenting on British media reports that claimed UK defense chiefs were under pressure to “reboot” communication channels with their Russian counterparts, the ministry said it had taken note of the claims.

“It was London that initiated the curtailment of dialogue through the defense ministries,” said the ministry.

Russia noted that Britain expelled the Russian military attache in May 2024, which Moscow said disrupted the traditional channel of communication between the two defense establishments.

“Therefore, it is precisely they who should take the first step to ‘fix’ it,’” said the ministry.

Moscow added that it had periodically received signals from the British side indicating an interest in restoring contacts, but said no practical steps had followed.

There has been no direct communication between the British and Russian military chiefs since September 2022, when then-Chief of the Defense Staff Admiral Tony Radakin spoke with Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov following a serious incident involving a Russian aircraft and an RAF surveillance plane above the Black Sea, according to British media reports.

Subsequent British attempts to re-establish contact were reportedly unsuccessful, and now British officials are facing pressure to restore high-level military communication amid concerns that the absence of direct channels could increase the risk of miscalculation and unintended escalation.