Russia places former British defense minister on wanted list

Russia on Wednesday placed former British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace on its wanted list under a criminal article.

The relevant document appeared on Russia’s Interior Ministry database. The specific criminal article under which Wallace is wanted was not disclosed.

Russian media claims the grounds for placing former British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace on the wanted list may be linked to a terrorism-related criminal case stemming from his calls for strikes on Crimea in order to make it “uninhabitable” in September 2025.

Commenting on the remarks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described them as “stupid,” stressing that the Kremlin does not consider it necessary to comment on statements about Russia made by former Western officials.

Wallace served as Britain’s defense minister from 2019 to 2023.