Russia has seized on comments made by the Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who said that Ukraine is fighting a “proxy war” on behalf of Western Europe.
Russia’s embassy in London shared a clip of Ms Badenoch, claiming she had “called a spade a spade”.
The Kremlin has long tried to justify its invasion of Ukraine by claiming Nato is using the country as a proxy for war.
In an interview with Sky News on Sunday, the Tory leader also claimed that Israel is fighting a “proxy war on behalf of the UK” in Gaza against Hamas.
She said: “Israel is fighting a proxy war on behalf of the UK, just like Ukraine is on behalf of Western Europe against Russia. We have to get serious.”
A clip of the interview was later shared by the Facebook account of Russia’s London embassy, and a spokesperson wrote: “Ukraine is indeed fighting a proxy war against Russia on behalf of Western interests. The illegitimate Kyiv regime, created, financed and armed by the West, has been at it since 2014.
“Remember, Kemi Badenoch hails from the same Conservative Party whose former leader and prime minister Boris Johnson, when peace was at hand, went to Kyiv and told the Ukrainians to ‘just fight’.”
The post was later shared by Russia’s foreign ministry.
Last October, Andrei Kelin, Russia’s ambassador to the UK, came under fire when he claimed that the war in Ukraine was a “proxy war led by the United Kingdom’s government”.
Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, also triggered outrage when he told the BBC in the run-up to last year’s election that the West had “provoked” the invasion with the expansion of Nato and the European Union.
At the time James Cleverly, then the Tory home secretary, said Mr Farage was echoing the Russian leader’s “vile justification” for the war.
A spokesperson for Ms Badenoch told The Telegraph, which first reported the story: “Kemi is proud of the support the Conservative Party has shown for President Zelensky and the people of Ukraine, who are fighting for democracy and against Putin’s aggressive fascism.
“Everyone in the UK should be very careful about promoting or repeating Russian propaganda that seeks to undermine Ukraine’s cause.”
