Kremlin labels Boris Johnson’s Syria war crime claims ‘Russophobic hysteria’ as he’s accused of putting our own Moscow embassy staff at risk
Foreign Secretary used his first speech from the despatch box to call for demonstrations outsides the Russian Embassy
BORIS Johnson’s claim Vladimir Putin is guilty of war crimes in Syria have been labelled as “Russophobic hysteria” by Moscow.
The Foreign Secretary used his first speech from the despatch box in his new role yesterday to call for demonstrations outsides the Russian Embassy over their involvement.
The Kremlin has denounced his comments after he said they were involved in bombing a UN aid convoy during the debate about the humanitarian crisis in Aleppo.
And his calls for protests risk retaliation against British diplomats in in Moscow, according to a former spy chief.
The Russian defence ministry spokesman major general Igor Konashenkov said Mr Johnson's accusations were ";a storm in a glass of muddy London water".
He insisted none of his country's aircraft were in the area at the time of the attack, and claimed MPs were on the "wrong side of history" over the Syria conflict.
Mr Konashenkov said the "Russophobic hysteria of certain members of the British establishment is no longer impressive", according to the website RT.
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Earlier Mr Johnson told the Commons all the evidence pointed to Russian aircraft being involved in the September 19 attack on the aid convoy.
"The incident took place after dark; by Russia's own account, the war planes of Syria's regime cannot strike targets after dark, and - also by Russia's own account - its aircraft were in the vicinity at the time," he told MPs.
“All the available evidence therefore points to Russian responsibility for the atrocity.”
But the Kremlin-backed Sputnik news agency reported that Mr Konashenkov said: "No Russian aircraft were in the area of the humanitarian convoy in Aleppo.
"It's a fact. And all the 'alleged' evidence ... will not be worth a penny, if someone is really given access to them."
The Russian embassy in London said the debate was "depressing" and added: "The speeches of those who participated in the discussion contradict the logic of all previous decisions of the International Syria Support Group as well as UN Security Council resolutions (Britain is a member of both)."
A statement by the embassy's press secretary added: "Syria is going through the hard process of defeating terrorists.
"Pity that the British parliamentarians placed themselves on the wrong side of history this time."
And this morning Sir John Sawers said the consequences for the security of Britain's embassy in Russia should be considered when urging demonstrations in London.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the ex-MI6 chief highlighted the attack on the UK's base in Iran by protesters in 2011.
Sir John said: "We all have to be a little bit careful and mindful of the security of our embassy in Moscow when we think about calling for demonstrations here in London.
"We all recall what happened to our embassy in Tehran three or four years ago.
“I don't think that would happen in Moscow but we need to be careful about the consequences of things that we call for."
It comes as peace campaigners claimed protesting outside the Russian embassy over Syria would increase the "hysteria and jingoism" that is being "whipped up" against the federation.
The Stop the War Coalition claimed the Government was fuelling anti-Russian sentiment in an attempt to "justify" an escalation of British military intervention.
Its vice chairman Chris Nineham said the organisation would not get involved, adding: "The reason for that is our focus is on what our Government is doing.
"There's a very good reason for this, because we can make a difference to what Britain does, we can make a difference to what our allies do to a certain extent and we have done.
"But, if we have a protest outside the Russian embassy it wouldn't make a blind bit of difference as to what (President Vladimir) Putin does because we are in Britain and we are in the West.
"And, not only that - a protest outside the Russian embassy would actually contribute to increasing the hysteria and the jingoism that is being whipped up at the moment against Russia."
He added: "What we are saying is there is a hysteria which is being organised by politicians and the media against Russia to see Russia as the only problem in Syria."
Mr Nineham said the Foreign Secretary's calls for demonstrations were "characteristically trivialising".