What the March 2021 reports showed about Russia and Western security
A retrospective on two reports, dated 16 and 21 March 2021, that placed Russia at the centre of security debates.
What did security reporting look like on 22 March 2021? Two items from the preceding days framed the picture, and both pointed to Russia.
On 16 March 2021, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the UK's nuclear arsenal would rise from 180 to 260 warheads. He said the country would shift its foreign policy focus to the Indo-Pacific region while remaining committed to NATO. The government's review identified Russia as the "most acute threat" to British security.
On 21 March 2021, according to the Turkish Ministry of National Defense, Russian jets struck gas facilities in the town of Sarmada, in Idlib Governorate near the Turkish border. The ministry said a surface-to-surface missile also hit Qah. Turkey said it had sent Russia a statement asking for the attacks to stop immediately.
The two reports concerned different places and different institutions. One was a policy review in London; the other was a Turkish account of strikes in northern Syria. Read together, they show how Russian military activity featured in official statements in the days before 22 March 2021.
