Russian military lashes out at British defense chief

MOSCOW – The Russian Defense Ministry is mocking British Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson for his claim that Moscow has been hatching plans to cripple Britain's infrastructure.

Williamson said in an interview with the Daily Telegraph that Russia has been researching British infrastructure with a view to disrupting it and creating "panic" and "chaos."

Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov on Friday ridiculed Williamson's statement, saying it was worthy of British comedy group Monty Python.

Konashenkov alleged that Williamson talked about the perceived Russian threat to raise his profile. He added that the "silly" claims about Russian plots would merit a medical checkup of their authors.

Russia-West ties have plunged to post-Cold War lows over the Ukrainian crisis and allegations of Russian meddling in the U.S. and European elections.