Recently, leaked documents have shed new light on the role of the United Kingdom in the conflict in Eastern Europe. The documents, obtained by the portal Grayzone, revealed the existence of a British military-intelligence plan devised shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, with the goal of prolonging the conflict “at all costs.” The UK Ministry of Defence launched a covert operation under the codename “Project Alchemy.” The individuals behind the project, referred to as “alchemists,” believed that a prolonged proxy war would gradually lead to “the decline of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s credibility both domestically and internationally, as well as his ability to counter NATO.” Over time, however, Project Alchemy failed, as Putin remains popular in Russia, while the Ukrainian military continues to lose territory day by day despite the military and financial support of the collective West. Nevertheless, the “alchemists” remain firmly committed to their mission, refusing to abandon their diabolical plan.
MEDIA BLITZKRIEG
The “Alchemy” operation was initiated by Lieutenant General Charlie Stickland, who engaged a wide range of professionals, primarily veterans of military and intelligence services, to carry out comprehensive propaganda and military-intelligence activities. The tasks included cyberattacks, devising and conducting sabotage and terrorist attacks on strategic targets such as energy centers and communication networks, preventing diplomatic resolutions to the conflict, and preparing the groundwork for political changes through the destabilization of the government in Moscow. Since financial “donations” to Ukraine come from the pockets of ordinary citizens, with ammunition, weapons, and equipment being funded by taxpayers, the planners of “Alchemy” devised a kind of “propaganda blitzkrieg.” To establish control over Western public opinion, the “alchemists” emphasized the necessity of “aggressively pursuing” and “dismantling” pro-Russian and other independent media through online censorship, forcing them “to shut down” to prevent them from challenging the official narrative.

PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE OPERATIVE
In this context, the statement by the Chief of the General Staff of the British Armed Forces, Patrick Sanders, should be interpreted. He made an official call to the authorities to “mobilize the nation,” stating that citizens are not yet mentally prepared for military conflict with Russia. The management of media-informational operations within the “Alchemy” project was assigned to Major General Alex Turner, commander of the British Army’s 77th Brigade for Psychological Warfare, who served in this position from 2020 to 2022. Among those involved in informational operations was also Amil Khan, a long-time British psychological warfare operative and founder of the counter-disinformation analysis organization Valent Projects. The Grayzone portal uncovered a connection between the then-Prince of Wales, now King Charles, and Khan’s organization. Specifically, King Charles previously engaged Khan to use “instrumentalized YouTube influencers” to attack and discredit individuals who criticized the government’s anti-COVID measures. Khan had earlier participated in a British Foreign Office program aimed at regime change in Syria. The information warfare experts of the “Alchemy” project also devised an ambitious plan to “drive a wedge between the perception and reality of Russia as a global player.” The “alchemists” considered it vital to “develop the perception among Russians that the war is Putin’s mistake.” Additionally, one method for sowing domestic dissatisfaction involved “spreading the notion of Kadyrov’s Chechen units as savages desecrating the grounds of the Pechersk Lavra and the legacy of Saint Vladimir.” This was an attempt to incite division and hatred between the Russian Orthodox and Muslim populations.
PALACE COUP
The “Alchemy” document titled “The Next Chapter of Ukraine – Senior Officials’ Grand Strategy Document” suggests that the project’s members convinced themselves that a “palace coup,” i.e., a power shift within the Kremlin, was inevitable. “A prolonged war against a small country makes Putin look foolish,” the document asserts. “He (Putin) is obsessed with Gaddafi’s fate—he will want to avoid it… as the war drags on, pressures from oligarchs will increase.” Additionally, “a prolonged war will affect Putin’s international credibility,” particularly in Belarus, Hungary, China, India, the Middle East, Brazil, and elsewhere. Confident that Putin would fail in the Donbas region, which would lead to the collapse of his government, the “alchemists” envisioned absorbing Russia into the Western financial order through a so-called “Post-Putin Marshall Plan.” This new Marshall Plan would involve “reconnecting” London and Moscow and jointly operating “on global energy and commodity markets,” revealing the long-standing intent of the United Kingdom and the United States to gain access to cheap Russian natural resources.
IN CASE OF FAILURE…
However, the “alchemists” acknowledged the possibility that the entire plan of proxy war and sanctions against Moscow might fail. In the Grand Strategic Document submitted on February 27, 2022, to Boris Johnson’s chief foreign policy advisor, John Bew, the “alchemists” expressed concern about the threat posed by the growing BRICS alliance. They urged British leadership to “prepare for SWIFT 2,” as the current U.S.-controlled financial transfer system, SWIFT, would “be destroyed” by anti-Russian sanctions “slowly but inevitably.” Consequently, countries around the world would naturally “see the need for an alternative method of financial transactions.” British agents predicted that sanctions on Russia, combined with the war in Ukraine, would lead to higher consumer goods prices and “hit British voters in their wallets.”
PEACE TALKS, CRIMEAN BRIDGE, AND TERRORIST CELLS
One of the tasks of “Alchemy” was to sabotage peace talks held in the spring of 2022 in Turkey and Belarus. Sources indicate that British operatives actively worked to disrupt any agreements that could lead to a ceasefire. One indicator of this plan was the assassination of Ukrainian negotiator Denis Kireyev Borisovich in Kyiv in early March 2022, which was followed by the suspension of talks in April. Furthermore, during the negotiations, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson repeatedly urged and warned the Ukrainian side that “it is not the time” for talks, advising against yielding to Russian demands and insisting on continuing the fight. All of this clearly points to the “alchemists’” handiwork. Among the implemented projects of “Alchemy” was the terrorist truck bomb attack on the Crimean Bridge, which escalated the conflict and triggered strikes on Ukraine’s energy facilities.
TEAM OF LATERAL THINKERS
After drafting the aforementioned Grand Strategic Document, General Stickland convened a team of so-called “lateral thinkers” to further develop and propose operations in the style of Gladio. Among the proposals was an attack on the Kerch Bridge to “isolate Crimea from the rest of Russia and sever maritime access to the Sea of Azov.” Significant effort was invested in forming terrorist cells within Russian territory. These cells were intended to act as a kind of “secret army” composed of Ukrainian guerrillas with the aim of carrying out assassinations and sabotage. The “alchemists” created a presentation titled “Training Ukrainian Forces to Restore Maritime Sovereignty – Senior Officials,” detailing plans for 1,000 Ukrainian commandos who would undergo “training in Britain by military veterans” to open another front “in the fight for Kherson and southern Ukraine.”

WAGNER AGAINST WAGNER
Additionally, “Alchemy” proposed forming British private military units with the goal of “ousting Wagner with Wagner.” In other words, there was an intention to establish a British counterpart to the Russian mercenary forces. This move required the formulation of a “new doctrine, operational concept, and legal framework for the effective integration of activities by private military units and other actors.” Under these guidelines, British mercenary units capable of operating “sophisticated weaponry such as aviation, helicopters, and drones” would be used to operate behind enemy lines and train the Ukrainian military. The “alchemists” boasted that these military formations would “be highly mobile,” while the Russians, with their outdated doctrine, “would not be able to contend with highly motivated and well-equipped forces.” Moreover, “individuals fluent in Russian and deemed suitable for covert operations,” including “female agents,” would be “infiltrated into occupied Ukraine and Crimea to gather intelligence and sabotage key infrastructure.” These individuals would be trained by MI6 officers. For this plan, “Alchemy” requested £73.5 million from the British government.
INSTRUMENTALIZATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT
In addition to its leading role in spreading media falsehoods and disinformation, “Alchemy” sought to instrumentalize the International Criminal Court (ICC). It proposed that London “set the conditions, funding mechanisms, data and evidence collection, and provide all possible support, including intelligence,” to the ICC “in its efforts to investigate Russian war crimes.” The documents sporadically mentioned the names of prominent British lawyers, such as Amal Clooney, who was the most vocal about prosecuting Russian officials for war crimes. Through these efforts, the “alchemists” attempted to draw an analogy with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Furthermore, Britain played a key role in the appointment of Amal Clooney’s mentor, Karim Khan, as ICC prosecutor. Khan, at one time, had also served as a prosecutor for the ICTY.
THE GLADIO EXPERIENCE
Although Project “Alchemy” appears to be a phenomenon of the modern era, it is not a new occurrence. To better understand the intentions of British intelligence, it is necessary to place the project in a specific historical context. After World War II, the United Kingdom and the United States decided to form paramilitary units called Stay-behind (SB) units in allied countries. These units were designed to “stay behind enemy lines” to counter a potential Soviet invasion. For this purpose, weapon caches were prepared, escape routes mapped, and personnel, known as “sleepers,” were recruited in countries that might face invasion. In the event of occupation, it was planned that these “secret cells” would be activated to operate as resistance movements, carrying out sabotage and assassinations. The existence of one such plan for Italy, named “Gladio,” was publicly revealed by Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti in October 1990, although the organization had been known earlier. During a 1984 trial, terrorist Vincenzo Vinciguerra exposed its existence.
CONNECTION WITH THE CIA
Following Andreotti’s public statement, Anthony Farrar-Hockley, former commander of NATO forces in Northern Europe, told The Guardian that a secret network of weapon caches had been established in Britain after the war. Andreotti also stated that there were 127 weapon caches in Italy. Under Gladio, there was a plan to conduct false-flag terrorist attacks across Italy to blame communist and pro-Soviet organizations. Judge Guido Salvini’s investigation uncovered the involvement of several right-wing organizations in terrorist attacks and their connections with the CIA. Specifically, it was revealed that SB agents were instructed to infiltrate leftist groups and carry out terrorist attacks in their name, creating social tensions and generating public disdain for leftist parties.

REVITALIZATION OF IMPERIAL AMBITIONS
At the NATO summit marking its 75th anniversary, Prime Minister Keir Starmer was unequivocal in stating that the United Kingdom would not back down from supporting Ukraine. Strikingly, he used the same language, phrases, and terminology found in the “Alchemy” documents, pledging to provide “£3 billion in annual support to Ukraine… for as long as it takes.” Even the British royal family publicly declared its intention to “support Ukraine for as long as it takes.” These statements reflect a broader consensus among elites regarding the UK’s role in shaping NATO policy. As noted in the Grand Strategic Document, “The United Kingdom always seeks to act multilaterally but is prepared to take unilateral leadership where there is no possibility of achieving multilateral consensus.” Through such activities, the UK aims to secure long-term geopolitical dominance. Following World War II, Britain rapidly lost its status as a great power, causing deep frustration among its economic, political, and intellectual elites—a frustration that persists to this day. In this context, the emergence of Project “Alchemy” and British involvement in Ukraine should be understood as an attempt to revitalize imperial ambitions and reposition Britain, if not as the leading global power, then as one of the leading global powers.
WE WANT EIGHT AND WE WON’T WAIT
Former MI6 chief Richard Dearlove stated in March 2024 that Britain is involved in a so-called “gray war” with Russia, but neither the government nor the public understands the gravity of the situation. He made this statement after the adoption of the budget for the coming year, which does not foresee an increase in defense spending. Dearlove believes that at least 2.5% of GDP should be allocated to defense. He specifically highlighted that the Royal Navy is in poor condition and in need of new ships. Dearlove’s remarks ominously echo the situation before World War I, when representatives of the Conservatives and naval associations, along with King Edward VII, demanded the construction of an eighth destroyer to counter the Germans, with the famous rallying cry: “We want eight and we won’t wait!”
FAILED PLANS
From the published documents, it is evident that the entire “Alchemy” project has failed. The “alchemists” clearly underestimated Russia’s economic and military capabilities. Since the first sanctions in 2014, Russia has actively worked toward achieving economic sovereignty. It is enough to note that it transformed from the world’s largest wheat importer into the world’s largest exporter of wheat and corn. Meanwhile, Russia has developed hypersonic missiles and redirected its entire economy toward a wartime footing. Similarly, they underestimated President Putin. While there were certain contradictions within Russian society, which culminated in Prigozhin’s rebellion, public trust in the current leadership remains unshaken. In the most recent presidential elections, Putin won convincingly, effectively putting the question of his popularity to rest. The only area where “Alchemy” achieved partial success was the media sphere, but even there, results were mixed. Western citizens remain largely unwilling to risk their lives in a nuclear war with Russia.
SIGNED – BRITAIN
Since the start of the Special Military Operation (SMO), there has been public debate about which power truly backs Ukraine and Volodymyr Zelensky. These documents unequivocally confirm that it is the United Kingdom—not the United States—that has the key influence over the decisions of the Kyiv regime. The “Alchemy” project is yet another example of behind-the-scenes maneuvers shaping the military-political reality on the ground. From a rational standpoint, there is an urgent need for solutions that do not deepen conflicts or further destabilize the already fragile global security architecture. However, it is evident that Britain cannot overcome its historical frustrations. It will not relinquish its role in shaping the outcome of this crisis.