UK threatens Russia with sanctions if Ukraine ‘puppet regime’ installed

Russia will face severe economic sanctions if it installs a puppet regime in Ukraine, a senior UK minister said on Sunday after Britain accused the Kremlin of seeking to install a pro-Russian leader there.   

Britain made the accusation late on Saturday, also saying Russian intelligence officers had been in contact with a number of former Ukrainian politicians as part of plans for an invasion.   
The Russian Foreign Ministry dismissed the comments as “disinformation”, accusing Britain and NATO of “escalating tensions” over Ukraine.   

Mykhailo Podolyak, a Ukrainian adviser to the presidential office, said the allegations should be taken seriously.   

“There’ll be very serious consequences if Russia takes this move to try and invade but also install a puppet regime,” British Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab told Sky News on Sunday.   

The British accusations, first made in a statement late on Saturday by the foreign ministry, come at a time of high tensions between Russia and the West over Russia’s massing of troops near its border with Ukraine. Moscow has insisted it has no plans to invade.   

The foreign ministry said it had information the Russian government was considering former Ukrainian lawmaker Yevhen Murayev as a potential candidate to head a pro-Russian leadership.  The British foreign ministry declined to provide evidence to back its accusations. A ministry source said it was not usual practice to share intelligence matters, and the details had only been declassified after careful consideration to deter Russian aggression.  
LONDON, Jan 23 (Reuters)