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| Britain |
| Classified Ministry of Defence papers found at bus stop in Kent |
| 2021-06-27 |
| Via Bulgarian journalist Ruslan Trad [TheGuardian] Classified defence documents containing details about HMS Defender and the military have been found at a bus stop, prompting an investigation from the Ministry of Defence (MoD). The loss of the sensitive information was described “as embarrassing as it is worrying for ministers” by Labour, who are seeking reassurances that national security has not been undermined. The MoD said an employee reported the loss of the documents last week, which were discovered by a member of the public in a soggy heap behind a bus stop in Kent early on Tuesday morning, the BBC reported. The papers included one set of documents that discussed the potential Russian reaction to HMS Defender’s travel through Ukrainian waters off the Crimea coast on Wednesday, according to the BBC, while another laid out plans for a possible UK military presence in Afghanistan. A member of the public, who wanted to remain anonymous, contacted the organisation when they found the 50 pages of classified information, which included emails and PowerPoint presentations. Britain was unexpectedly embroiled in a diplomatic and military dispute with Russia on Wednesday after the Royal Navy Type 45 destroyer, HMS Defender, briefly passed through territorial waters off the coast of the disputed territory of Crimea. The documents confirm that a mission – described by the MoD as an “innocent passage through Ukrainian territorial waters” – with guns covered and the ship’s helicopter stowed in its hangar, was conducted in the expectation that the Kremlin might respond aggressively. More at the link |
| Posted by:badanov |
| #3 Second time in a year this has happened. |
| Posted by: Ebbomoger Speaking for Boskone4589 2021-06-27 21:08 |
| #2 It follows that the Russians knew about the British Navy plans long before the incident occurred. If they consulted with the Ukrainians before executing their plan, you can be sure the Russians knew about the plan as well. Ukrainian military coms are hopelessly compromised. |
| Posted by: badanov 2021-06-27 15:13 |
| #1 I wonder how classified said papers were. There is Classified - Top Secret Eyes Only and there is Classified - Do Not Leave at a Bus Stop. If the papers are classified-classified, then there should be a record of who checked them out. More support for my theory that humans are the weakest link in any system. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2021-06-27 12:44 |