UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham condemned what he described as 'repulsive' Russian efforts to stoke tensions and interfere in elections during a speech to the United Nations General Assembly on 23 September 2026.
Burnham accused Russian agencies of mounting an 'industrial-scale assault' through disinformation, including the use of bots, fake websites, falsified newspaper articles and forged branding of British organisations such as universities and the BBC. He stated that the Kremlin spends around £1.3 billion annually on manipulating information and cited evidence of attempts to interfere with the 2019 general election, as well as amplifying far-right narratives.
'We also know that they have tried to stoke tensions and unrest in the wake of horrific events. The idea that anyone would try to use such things to their advantage is just repulsive – but it is what they do,' Burnham said.
The prime minister announced the establishment of a new National Centre for Information Defence to detect, attribute and disrupt such information attacks, initially led from the Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in coordination with intelligence agencies, police and social media companies. He also noted the UK's support for Moldova in protecting its elections from Russian interference and expressed willingness to share expertise with other nations.
The Kremlin responded by accusing Britain of stoking anti-Russian sentiment and Russophobia, describing the approach as short-sighted and unhelpful for de-escalation in Europe.
