The head of the UK’s domestic security agency, MI5, has issued a stark warning that Russian intelligence service is on a sustained mission to generate mayhem on the streets of Europe. According to Ken McCallum, Russian agents have been involved in various forms of sabotage and malicious activities in the UK, including arson, amid the country’s support for Ukraine in the ongoing war. McCallum highlighted that the UK’s leading role in supporting Ukraine has put the country in the crosshairs of the Russian president Vladimir Putin’s regime, with the agency expecting continued acts of aggression.
McCallum emphasized that the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence agency, is particularly involved in this mission, conducting operations with increasing recklessness and intending to drive increased operational coordination with partners across Europe and beyond. He noted that the number of state threat investigations has surged by 48 per cent in the last year, with the agency facing a range of threats, including terrorist plots and state-backed sabotage and assassination attempts, amidst the backdrop of a major European land war.
Ken McCallum (Image via Getty)
MI5 has responded to 20 Iran-backed plots since January 2022 that posed potentially lethal threats to British citizens and UK residents, with both Russia and Iran employing criminals and private intelligence officers to carry out their operations on British soil. McCallum warned that anyone willing to take money from these nations to conduct their dirty work would regret their choice, as the full weight of the national security apparatus would be brought down on them.
The expulsion of hundreds of Russian diplomats from across Europe has also led to a greater reliance on cyber operations, with McCallum warning that the West’s cyber defences should expect further testing and possibly even defeats. McCallum’s warning serves as a stark reminder of the evolving threats posed by state-sponsored actors and the importance of robust national security measures to protect citizens and interests.
