Russia is conducting a “staggeringly reckless campaign” of sabotage across Europe while using nuclear threats to discourage support for Ukraine, Britain’s foreign intelligence chief revealed Friday.
Richard Moore, head of MI6, said his agency has “recently uncovered a staggeringly reckless campaign of Russian sabotage in Europe,” coinciding with what he called Putin’s “nuclear sabre-rattling to sow fear about the consequences of aiding Ukraine.”
The warning comes as NATO and Western intelligence services report increasing Russian hostile activities across the Euro-Atlantic area, ranging from cyber attacks to Moscow-linked arson, all of which Russia denies. Britain’s domestic spy chief recently accused Russia’s GRU military intelligence service of attempting to cause “mayhem” across Britain and Europe.
Moore warned that Putin would not stop at reducing Ukraine to a “vassal state,” saying British, French, European, and transatlantic security would be jeopardized. “The cost of supporting Ukraine is well known, but the cost of not doing so would be infinitely higher. If Putin succeeds China would weigh the implications, North Korea would be emboldened and Iran would become still more dangerous.”
Sources familiar with U.S. intelligence indicate Russia may expand its sabotage campaign against European targets to increase pressure on Western support for Kyiv. Moore, addressing potential changes in U.S. leadership, noted his successful cooperation with the previous Trump administration on security matters, saying he looks forward to continuing such collaboration.
REUTERS
