Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with representatives of the armed forces on reports that the Russian Government allegedly offered to pay bounties to Taliban-linked fighters to kill US and UK troops in Afghanistan.

It would not be appropriate to comment on sensitive intelligence matters, but the safety of our Service personnel is of paramount importance to the Ministry of Defence. We take all necessary measures to ensure that our Armed Forces are properly trained, equipped and prepared to face any eventuality. We regularly review our force protection posture and take all necessary steps to mitigate the risks. That is no different in Afghanistan.

The Ministry of Defence continues to collaborate with allies and partners, including in the intelligence domain, to fully and robustly respond to the challenges Russia presents. In responding to this malign activity, the UK is a world leader. We led the global effort to expel more than a hundred diplomats from around the world after the Salisbury attack in 2018 and we were the first international partner to deploy a military training team to Ukraine following the illegal annexation of Crimea.