Secret documents from the British Ministry of Defense and the army, which contain sensitive security information, were found at a bus station in southern England, according to the BBC.

The Ministry of Defense said it was investigating an “incident in which a member of the public recovered sensitive security documents”, after a man who requested anonymity found “documents consisting of about 50 sheets of paper in a damp pile behind the bus station in Kent, early on.” from Tuesday morning.

A spokesman for the ministry confirmed that it “takes the issue of information security very seriously, and an investigation has begun,” noting that the responsible employee “reported the loss of these documents at the time, and it is inappropriate to provide further comments,” as he described it.

The documents included discussions about possible Russian reactions to the sailing of the British ship “Defender” off the Crimean peninsula this month.

Also among the documents were references to “plans for a possible British military presence in Afghanistan”, following the withdrawal of US forces and the end of the NATO operation there.

On Wednesday, Russia announced that it had fired warning fire and dropped bombs in the ship’s path to clear it of what the Kremlin considers “Russian waters”, while Britain and most countries of the world consider it “Ukrainian waters.”

Russia also summoned the British ambassador in Moscow, to formally inform it of its protest against what it described as a “provocative act”.

Britain denied the veracity of the Russian version of the incident, and said it believed that any shots fired were part of a previously announced Russian artillery training, and that no bombs were dropped.

She confirmed that the destroyer sailed through what she said were Ukrainian waters, describing the operation as an “innocent passage” consistent with international law.

While the documents revealed that the ship sailed “in light of the expectation that Russia might take an aggressive stance in response to it,” according to the BBC report.

The documents also stated that the operation was the subject of high-level discussions late last Monday.

For its part, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, mocked the British government, saying: “London has resorted to a number of lies to cover up its latest provocation, it seems that James Bond is no longer as competent as it was.”

And she continued in a post on the Telegram application: “And now we have a question as puzzling as a puzzle for the British Parliament: Why do we need Russian hackers if there are British bus stations?”

The British Labor Party criticized the leak of documents in this way, and considered the incident “as embarrassing as it is alarming.”

Labour’s defense policy chief, John Healy, said ministers should ensure that national security was not undermined or security operations were affected, and that “measures have been taken to ensure that such a thing does not happen again”.