Defence Secretary forced to abandon Odesa trip due to security concerns
Grant Shapps was forced to abandon a visit to the Ukrainian city of Odesa for security reasons, the Ministry of Defence said.
The decision by the Defence Secretary to cancel his visit to the historic port city last week reportedly came after UK intelligence received information suggesting that Russia had become aware of his travel plans.
It is not uncommon for itineraries to change, the MOD said, and the Defence Secretary's team were well equipped to manage this change.
A missile strike hit Odesa a day before he had been due to visit, narrowly missing President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Greek Prime Minister, who were visiting the city, by just a few hundred feet.
Ukrainian authorities said the strike killed five people.
According to The Sunday Times, which had exclusive access to the Defence Secretary's trip, the strike preceding his visit raised the threat level from substantial to critical, alongside the knowledge of his plans by the Kremlin.
"Putin has shown himself to be reckless, ruthless and careless," Mr Shapps told the Sunday Times.
"The fact that he came perilously close to essentially assassinating two western leaders, it doesn't matter whether that is deliberate or accidental.
"What the hell is he doing, and why the heck would the West allow him to do that kind of thing?"
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: "On a recent trip to Ukraine, the Defence Secretary did not make a planned visit to Odesa for security reasons.
"The UK continues to provide strong support for Ukraine and the Defence Secretary's visit and engagements only underscored the importance of this support in the face of Putin's aggression."
The trip came after a plane Mr Shapps was travelling on from Poland earlier this week had been interfered with electronically while travelling close to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.
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