Kremlin accuses Andy Burnham of 'stoking anti-Russian sentiment' after he blamed Putin for sowing division in Britain during UN speech

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that British Prime Minister Andy Burnham had unwisely chosen to stir up anti-Russian sentiment during his UN speech.Speaking at the General Assembly yesterday, Burnham said that London would set up a new National Centre for Information Defence and singled out Moscow for particular criticism when it came to spreading what he called disinformation.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Burnham's approach - and that of other European countries - was flawed.'Well, the British Prime Minister said nothing new. That is the first point. The second is that stoking anti-Russian sentiment and fostering an atmosphere of total Russophobia is what Britain is doing. 'And now, presumably in unison with Britain, the Germans, the French and a number of other European states are doing the same thing,' said Peskov.'From our point of view, this is an utterly short-sighted policy. It in no way brings us any closer to any steps that might, in the long term, lead to a reduction in tensions and de-escalation on the European continent.'In his speech, Burnham said: 'In recent years we have seen an industrial-scale assault by hostile actors on the information environment in the UK and many of our allies. The PM said the Kremlin spends £1.3billion a year 'manipulating information'.'Russian agencies have used every means at their disposal to spread lies and disinformation and prey on people's fears.'I know this is a shared challenge. So we are going to use our experience in the UK – and the fact that we have already been through this shock – to help other countries.'He said hostile agencies had 'amplified far-Right narratives' and 'tried to interfere with the 2019 General Election'.The PM said the Kremlin spends £1.3billion a year 'manipulating information'.No 10 said the new disinformation unit would operate alongside intelligence agencies, the police and social media companies and focus on 'improving local community cohesion and preventing a distorted and untrue narrative about Britain'.Burnham said the UK 'will not play Russia's game of trading escalatory rhetoric', adding: 'Instead, we will be prepared but not panic. Clear-eyed but cool-headed and unflinching in defending our people and our allies.'Hardline Remain campaigners have claimed for years that Russia tried to influence the outcome of the Brexit referendum, but have failed to provide proof.Last week, Burnham faced demands to come clean with Britons about the threat being posed by Russia's 'shadow' war against Nato allies.Both Tory leader Kemi Badenoch and Reform UK's Nigel Farage have called on the Prime Minister to set out in greater detail how he plans to keep the UK safe.'Our Government is fiddling while Europe is at risk of burning,' Badenoch told the Telegraph.'In France and Poland, leaders are taking action now against the growing Russian threat.'What is our Government doing? Has anyone heard from Wes Streeting, the former head of the National Union of Students, who has rocked up as Defence Secretary?'The Tory leader added: 'We have to stop pretending that we are living in a carefree end of history when Russia is testing our resolve week after week. It's time to get serious.'It follows warnings that Russia is planning hybrid strikes with drones or rockets on European countries supporting Ukraine.Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia was planning a new major attack on his country, in comments published on Tuesday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (R) meeting with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham (L) in New York Zelensky, posting on Telegram about his meeting with Burnham on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, said Ukraine was in constant communication with its allies on securing new anti-aircraft defenses.'There's intelligence right now that Russia is preparing a new massive attack against Ukraine,' Zelensky wrote.He said that there could not possibly be any discussion of easing sanctions against Russia 'when Ukrainians live every day under the threat of missile and drone attacks.'Russian forces have long unleashed large-scale overnight attacks by drones and missiles but have altered tactics in recent weeks, launching constant barrages throughout the day.Moscow also in recent months has deployed jet-powered drones, which fly at higher altitudes and evade air defenses, disrupting businesses, government and ordinary life on a much bigger scale than previously in the 4-1/2-year-old war.Russian troops are advancing slowly through eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region but the front line has undergone little change in many months. Ukrainian forces now launch air strikes on Russian targets, many in the oil industry, at sites up to 3,000 km from the Ukrainian border.Interviewed in New York by the Wall Street Journal, Zelensky said Russian President Vladimir Putin was neither winning nor losing the war, but did not feel compelled to hold direct negotiations on ending the conflict.'The situation on the battlefield is not successful for Putin. He is not winning, it is true. And he is not losing, it is also true, because for him human losses are not to lose... but his society is losing people,' Zelenskiy said, 'He doesn't feel that he has to stop.'