MI6 and CIA warn of 'reckless sabotage campaign across Europe' by Russia

Russia is waging a “reckless sabotage campaign” across Europe, the heads of MI6 and the CIA have warned in their first joint statements.

Sir Richard Moore and Bill Burns also said the UK and US were facing an “unprecedented series of threats” and that the entire world order was under the most severe pressure since the Cold War.

In a newspaper article, the spymasters pointed out Vladimir Putinthe war in Ukraine, while describing China as “the main geopolitical and intelligence challenge of the 21st century.”

They discussed the covert work their agencies were doing to try to reduce the risk of a wider conflict in the Middle East and revealed that MI6 and the CIA were “working tirelessly to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza”.

Furthermore, Sir Richard and Mr Burns highlighted the “resurgent” danger posed by Islamic State.

“Today we are cooperating in a contested international system where both our countries face an unprecedented range of threats,” Sir Richard and Mr Burns said. written in the Financial Times SATURDAY.

“The international world order is under threat”

“There is no doubt that the international world order – the balanced system that has led to relative peace and stability and brought rising living standards, opportunity and prosperity – is under threat in ways we have not seen since the Cold War,” they wrote.

Combating such risks was at the heart of what intelligence chiefs described as the special relationship between their two countries.

“Trust, openness, constructive questioning and friendship,” they wrote. “We can count on these characteristics in the next century, as well as on our shared determination to remain champions of global peace and security.”

In Russia, the heads of MI6 and the CIA said Russian intelligence services were conducting a “reckless sabotage campaign across Europe.”

They did not cite examples, but there have been a series of mysterious sabotage and arson attacks on infrastructure in the UK, Germany and the Baltic states.

US intelligence services also reportedly foiled an alleged Russian plot to assassinate the chief executive of Germany’s top arms manufacturer.

In addition to physical sabotage, Sir Richard and Mr Burns warned of the threat posed to Western democracies by Russian information operations.

“Staying on course is more important than ever”

They spoke of “the Kremlin’s cynical use of technology to spread lies and disinformation intended to sow discord between us.”

Find out more about Sky News:
Starmer visits Ireland to ‘reset’ relations
Cheney announces he will vote for Harris
Trump’s sentencing postponed

Addressing the issue of Russia’s war in Ukraine, the intelligence duo said: “Staying the course is more vital than ever. Putin will not succeed in extinguishing Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence.”

They said the conflict demonstrated the impact of technology on the battlefield.

“The war in Ukraine was the first of its kind to combine open source software with cutting-edge battlefield technology, leveraging commercial and military satellite imagery, drone technology, high- and low-sophistication cyberwarfare, social media, open source intelligence, unmanned aerial and maritime vehicles, and information operations—as well as human and signals intelligence—at incredible pace and scale. Above all, it underscored the imperative to adapt, experiment, and innovate.”