UK says global sanctions significantly weakened Moscow's military might amid ongoing war

As the ruthless war in Ukraine continues to escalate, the United Kingdom's Defence Ministry has released its latest intelligence update about the prevailing situation. Taking to their official Twitter handle, the UK Defence Ministry stated that Russia's armed forces are now significantly weaker, both materially and conceptually, as a result of its invasion of Ukraine. "Recovery from this will be exacerbated by sanctions. This will have a lasting impact on Russia's ability to deploy conventional military force," the ministry claimed. 

According to the latest UK intelligence update, Russia's defence budget nearly doubled between 2005 and 2018,  including investments in various high-end air, land, and marine capabilities. The UK Defence Ministry stated that this was the foundation for the massive military modernization programme - New Look - which began in 2008. It further claimed that Russia has not been able to conquer Ukraine despite modernising its physical equipment. Besides, Moscow has also been unable to convert numerical strength into a decisive advantage "due to failures in both strategic planning and operational execution," the UK ministry claimed. 

UK announces additional $375 million military aid package to Ukraine

Meanwhile, the UK government said in a statement that the country along with its foreign allies is united in its support for Ukraine. The UK government is assisting Ukraine with a wide range of economic, humanitarian, and defensive military aid, as well as putting new sanctions on Russia and Belarus, the statement read. On Monday, the UK government pledged to increase its assistance to war-torn Ukraine, announcing an additional $375 million military aid package, the TASS news agency reported. This comes only a couple of days after Prime Minister Boris Johnson met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss how the UK intends to offer military and humanitarian aid to strengthen Ukrainians. 

Russian 'cyber soldiers' launch disinformation campaign on social media: UK

Earlier on Sunday, May 1, the UK warned that Russia's "cyber soldiers" have launched a fresh attack related to the disinformation campaign targeting social media platforms in order to legitimise the invasion of Ukraine. According to research financed by the UK, paid operators have been functioning out of offices in St. Petersburg to propagate the disinformation campaign on the messaging app Telegram as well as other social media platforms to justify Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The UK also claimed that Russia has been aggressively hiring and collaborating with people recruited to inundate social media accounts of Kremlin critics with pro-Russian propaganda.

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