"Eyes Opened to Election Interference, Stayed Silent"... UK Releases Russia Report

UK Parliament Releases Russia Report
Russian Interference in Elections Including Brexit
UK Government Unaware and Unwilling to Know About Russian Moves
Russian Political Interference Becomes New Reality

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Although Russia interfered with British democracy by meddling in the Brexit (the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union) referendum, the UK government has been criticized for turning a blind eye. A report released by the UK Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) pointed out belatedly the UK government's failure to properly respond to Russia's election interference activities.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (second from left) is having a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin (second from right). [Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

On the 21st (local time), the ISC released the "Russia Report," which investigated allegations of Russian interference in British democracy, including the referendum. The report was submitted to the Prime Minister's Office last October but was only made public on this day after the UK government delayed for nine months, citing the need to verify the facts.

The report officially confirmed Russia's interference. It stated, "The UK has now become a major target of Russian intelligence agencies," and assessed that "Russian election interference has now become the new normal in British society."

ISC member Kevan Jones pointed out, "What is frustrating is not that there was Russian election interference, but that no one even tried to find out whether there was interference." The report noted that it did not find evidence that Russia successfully disrupted British democracy during the 2016 Brexit referendum. However, regardless of the assessment of Russia's actions, the UK government failed to properly respond to the threat of Russian election interference.

Additionally, the report concluded that Russia also interfered in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. Nevertheless, the UK government did not adequately respond to the successive moves by the Russian government to interfere in elections.

Furthermore, the report viewed the exercise of Russian influence as a "new normal," linked to high-ranking officials' connections with Russian political, governmental, and economic figures. It did not specify who exactly was connected to Russia. However, it stated, "Whether knowingly or unknowingly, UK lawyers, accountants, and real estate agents welcome Russian oligarchs, accept their funds, facilitate money laundering through the UK financial sector, and provide links between UK businesses, political figures, and high-ranking officials."

The report also mentioned, "It should be noted that a significant number of members of the UK House of Lords are commercially connected to Russia and work for companies linked to the Russian government." In this regard, it pointed out the need to enact laws to restrict espionage activities and address the illegal financial resources of the Russian elite.

Although the impact of Russian election interference was confirmed, the UK government does not plan to verify how the interference affected the referendum results at that time.

Meanwhile, Russia has completely denied the allegations related to this report. Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for the Russian Presidential Administration, told reporters, "Russia does not interfere in elections in the UK, the United States, or other countries."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.