The RT broadcaster has published a video allegedly obtained from Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) that shows Vladimir Ashurkov, a key Alexey Navalny ally, pushing a then-UK Embassy in Moscow staffer James Ford to exert greater influence on Russia
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st February, 2021) The RT broadcaster has published a video allegedly obtained from Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) that shows Vladimir Ashurkov, a key Alexey Navalny ally, pushing a then-UK Embassy in Moscow staffer James Ford to exert greater influence on Russia.
The FSB considers Ford to be an agent for the UK's foreign intelligence service MI6, and he is said to be married to a Swedish agent. The video appears to be filmed in 2012, before Russia's foreign agent law came into force in the fall of that year.
During the conversation, which was filmed and conducted in English, Ashurkov, the executive director of the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK, labeled as a foreign agent by the Russian Ministry of Justice) appears to call for the UK to provide "direct evidence" that would implicate prominent businessmen Roman Abramovich and Alisher Usmanov in financial crimes in connection with the Russian government.
"In some cases we don't have, maybe you know, the direct evidence. Our evidence is circumstantial, but I'm sure SFO [Serious Fraud Office] has access to a lot of information that would not be available to us, from British sources," Ashurkov said in the video.
Ashurkov also said that the FBK would work with the Henry Jackson Society, headquarted in London, to publish reports about Russia's VTB bank.
The Navalny ally added that he was convinced that the UK would be able to exert influence on Russia.
"I think Britain is a key European country that can influence and is already taking tougher stance towards Russia," Ashurkov remarked.
At the same time, the Navalny ally appears to hint that his organization requires further funds to conduct its activities.
"If we had more money we would expand our team ... If somebody would spend, I don't know, $10 million-$20 million a year on supporting this, we would see quite a different picture. This is not a big amount of money for people who have billions at stake in this game," he said.
Ashurkov is also heard setting out his organization's plans for the future, including the staging of large-scale unauthorized protests and publication of propaganda.
"We need to play on different chessboards. Mass protests, civil initiatives, propaganda, establishing contacts with the elite and explaining to them that we are reasonable people, and we're not going to demolish everything and take away their assets," he remarked.
During their conversation, Ford is not heard making an outright statement of support for Ashurkov, although RT said that the ex-embassy staffer suggested that he cooperate with Transparency International, a German-based organization that receives funds from the UK government (labeled as a foreign agent by the Russian Ministry of Justice).
"We provide support for various NGOs, as lots of embassies do," the then-UK embassy official said.
According to his Twitter profile, Ford is currently based in Brussels, rather than the Russian capital.
The Russian security services in 2006 uncovered a UK spy plot that involved the planting of a fake rock on a Moscow street. At first, UK diplomats denied the allegations, before finally coming clean six years later.
