Russian officials are once again accusing a Western nation of manipulating global politics, this time claiming the United Kingdom — not the United States — is secretly controlling Europe’s geopolitical strategy.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made the claim in his first public remarks in over a week, saying that Western Europe, “spearheaded by the British,” is using countries in Eastern Europe to provoke Russia into conflict.

He said, “All these smaller countries… greatly overestimate their importance to Western Europeans, to the EU old-timers. And the few in Europe who still have a shred of common sense and indeed care about the continent’s security, and there are fewer and fewer of those, they understand perfectly well which provocative role was given to these Baltic countries, spearheaded by the British.”

Lavrov went on to describe Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia — former Soviet-occupied nations — as “fledgling Europeans” who are being used as pawns in a larger Western plot. Russian state media reported that Lavrov accused London of controlling these nations with disdain, treating them as expendable tools rather than allies.

“This is well known,” he added.

The latest claim continues a long pattern of Moscow accusing Britain of being the hidden hand behind anti-Russian efforts across Europe. Russian media and officials have revived the centuries-old nickname “Perfidious Albion,” a term that portrays the United Kingdom as an untrustworthy manipulator of global affairs.

Earlier this year, Russian spokesmen accused Britain of trying to sabotage peace efforts between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to the Kremlin’s version of events, London’s ultimate goal is to prevent any diplomatic deal that could reduce tensions and instead “contain” Russia indefinitely.

The narrative also fits with Russia’s broader claim that NATO is primarily an “Anglo-Saxon” alliance — a military bloc supposedly controlled by the U.S. and the UK while other European nations, in Moscow’s view, are tricked into doing the fighting and carrying the costs.

Throughout the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Russian officials have repeatedly blamed the UK for fueling hostilities and spreading misinformation. They argue that British officials are working behind the scenes to escalate the situation and prevent peace.

Moscow has also accused British intelligence of orchestrating secret operations inside Russia. In 2023, Russian security forces claimed they stopped a Ukrainian special forces unit allegedly planning to attack a nuclear facility. President Vladimir Putin said British agents were behind the plot, accusing them of trying to provoke a nuclear confrontation.

Lavrov later told reporters he had “100 per cent certainty” that acts of sabotage inside Russia were also linked to the British. According to him, Western intelligence networks are “waging hybrid war” through espionage, cyberattacks, and propaganda.

Russia’s accusations come as it faces growing internal challenges — economic sanctions, battlefield losses, and mounting political pressure at home. Still, Lavrov’s remarks suggest Moscow is trying to shift blame outward, portraying the UK as the central enemy instead of the broader Western coalition that has stood against its military aggression.

The comments also reveal how deeply the Kremlin’s distrust of Britain runs. By reviving Cold War-style rhetoric, Russia seems intent on framing London as a permanent adversary, even as other Western nations attempt to keep diplomatic channels open.

For now, the United Kingdom has not responded to the latest round of accusations. But Lavrov’s statements have already gained wide coverage across Russian media, with officials and state broadcasters repeating his claims that London remains the secret hand steering European politics.

As tensions between Moscow and the West continue, the charge that Britain is controlling Europe’s governments marks a new twist in Russia’s ongoing campaign to frame its adversaries as aggressors. Whether anyone outside Russia believes it is another question entirely.