Britain claims Vladimir Putin is plotting a puppet regime in Ukraine

Britain accused Russia of plotting to install a puppet leader in Kyiv, as Boris Johnson warned European Union leaders against “naivety” over Vladimir Putin’s demands over Ukraine and described the crisis as “gravely dangerous”.

In a highly unusual move, Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary, publicly released specially declassified intelligence naming Yevhen Murayev, a former Ukrainian MP, as the Kremlin’s preferred candidate to take over the country following an invasion.

Officials also named four former Ukrainian ministers alleged to be colluding with Russian intelligence officers, including spies involved in planning an attack.

Whitehall was on Saturday night preparing to stand up specialist counter-disinformation cells and officials began work on new sanctions to debilitate the Russian economy if the Kremlin advances.

Britain is understood to be considering a “nuclear” option of backing the suspension of Russia from the Swift international payment scheme.

Mr Johnson believes possible sanctions “cannot exclude” Nordstream II, the controversial gas pipeline between Russia and the EU, and is due to hold calls with G7 leaders to finalise a “sanction coalition” to take targeted measures against oligarchs supporting the Russian president.

Sources close to the Prime Minister said that he “fears some world leaders may not appreciate the deteriorating picture on the Ukrainian border, or fully comprehend the risks posed by a bullying Russia”.

‘Western unity is key’ for Prime Minister

Mr Johnson has warned leaders against “naivety” over Mr Putin’s demands to de-escalate the Ukraine crisis, including a ban on the country joining Nato and a limit to the deployment of troops and weapons to the alliance’s eastern flank. The Kremlin currently has about 100,000 troops massed near Ukraine’s borders.

A German admiral who has since resigned was criticised for saying that what Mr Putin - who is demanding a ban on Ukraine joining Nato and a limit to the deployment of troops and weapons to the alliance's eastern flank - wanted was "respect".

A Number 10 source said that the Prime Minister regarded the situation as “gravely dangerous”, and was calling on European counterparts to unite with the US in facing down Russian aggression.

“His resolve has hardened since the last call with President Putin in December, but he regards Western unity as key. He’s in close contact with [the Ukrainian president Volodymyr] Zelensky and other Western leaders,” the source said.

They added: “The whole of Whitehall is ramping up preparations – departments and the security services are holding multiple daily co-ordination meetings to try to address the current threat and prepare for any escalation.”

On Saturday, British travellers were advised against all non-essential travel to Ukraine by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), which asked UK nationals to register their presence in the country. Travel to Donetsk oblast, Luhansk oblast and Crimea should be avoided, it said.

The US Department of State is reportedly considering ordering the families of personnel at its embassy in Ukraine to start evacuating as early as next week. It has already told Americans not to travel to the country.

Security experts said that the intelligence, if accurate, indicated the “darkest of all scenarios”, namely a “full decapitation strategy” by Moscow, and described the UK’s decision to publish it as an attempt to discredit the participants.

In a statement a spokeswoman for the White House National Security Council said: “This kind of plotting is deeply concerning. The Ukrainian people have the sovereign right to determine their own future, and we stand with our democratically elected partners in Ukraine.”

Support mission prepares for take-off

Both the Foreign and Defence Secretaries are expected to be deployed to Europe next week to bolster support.

Ms Truss said: “The information being released today shines a light on the extent of Russian activity designed to subvert Ukraine, and is an insight into Kremlin thinking. Russia must de-escalate, end its campaigns of aggression and disinformation, and pursue a path of diplomacy.

“Russian military incursion into Ukraine would be a massive strategic mistake with severe costs.”

On Saturday, it was confirmed that the Russian defence minister had accepted an invitation to meet Ben Wallace. It follows the delivery by the UK of lethal aid to Ukraine last week in the form of 2,000 anti-tank weapons and 30 troops to provide training.

“The Prime Minister’s view is that the situation in Ukraine is the biggest test to the unity and resolve of the West and the Nato alliance in decades,” said a Number 10 source.

“It would be frankly naive to assume that Russia could be mollified by changes to the European security architecture – the Kremlin’s behaviour has made that consistently clear.

“The UK is working through Nato and in lockstep with the US to enact a policy of dialogue and deterrence, pursuing the diplomatic track but readying a package of sanctions that will pierce the heart of Russia’s economy should that fail.

“He is very clear that countries must be free to choose their own futures and the voice of those in Eastern European must be heard in the negotiations.”

Britain’s ambassadors have been ordered to drive forward a package of “debilitating” economic measures against Russia should the situation escalate.

Writing in The Telegraph, Tom Tugendhat, the chairman of the Commons foreign affairs select committee, stated: “For the first time in a generation, we’re on the brink of war in Europe. We need to be strong, not to threaten Moscow, but because only strength can stop them.”

Mr Johnson has previously said European leaders would have to choose “between mainlining ever more Russian hydrocarbons in giant new pipelines, and sticking up for Ukraine and championing the cause of peace and stability”.

Mr Murayev, a Russian speaker from a city close to the border, owns a major TV channel and ran for president of Ukraine in 2019 before dropping out of the race to endorse another Russia-friendly candidate.

The Foreign Office said it had “information” that Mr Murayev was being considered by Russia as a candidate to lead Ukraine. It declined to publish the intelligence itself.

On Saturday night, Mr Murayev dismissed the accusations as “stupid and absurd”, pointing out that he has been subject to Russian sanctions himself.

He told The Telegraph: “Unless I’ve missed something, they [Russia] have another candidate and they’re not even hiding it. I’m a patriot of my country.”

Analysts suggested that the Kremlin’s real candidate was Viktor Medvedchuk, a Ukrainian oligarch who counts Mr Putin as his daughter’s godfather. Mr Medvedchuk could not be contacted for a response.

The other former senior politicians named by the FCDO as having been in contact with Russian Intelligence – also with no accompanying evidence – were Serhiy Arbuzov, Andriy Kluyev, Vladimir Sivkovich and Mykola Azarov, who was Ukraine’s prime minister from 2010 to 2014.

The news came as Admiral Kay-Achim Schoenbach, the head of the German navy, resigned after being criticised for saying that what Mr Putin really wants is “respect” and that giving it to him would be “low cost”.

The UK is understood to have worked closely with the US on the gathering and declassification of the intelligence that led to Saturday’s disclosure, with the decision approved following a vetting process involving the intelligence services.

Dr Jonathan Eyal, the associate director of strategic research partnerships at the Royal United Services Institute, said that, if accurate, the intelligence on Russia’s plans to install a puppet leader pointed to the “darkest of all scenarios”.

The US Treasury said: “Russia has directed its intelligence services to recruit current and former Ukrainian government officials to prepare to take over the government of Ukraine, and to control Ukraine’s critical infrastructure with an occupying Russian force.”