The head of the secret service United KingdomMI6 says it believes that Russia lost his ability to spy Europe “halved” after the expulsion of more than 400 intelligence officers from cities across the continent and the arrest of several spies disguised as civilians.
In an interview with CNN, Richard Moore said that since Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine, European countries have expelled “four hundred Russian intelligence operatives operating under diplomatic cover” from the entire bloc.
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“We think this has probably halved the UK’s ability to spy for Russia in Europe,” Moore said, adding that several “illegals,” or Russian spies operating under low cover and disguised as civilians, were in have also been exposed and arrested in recent months.
In his opinion, the Russians will lose strength in the invasion over the next few weeks as the government struggles to provide raw materials and manpower for the army. This situation will leave a gap for Ukraine to counterattack, mainly due to their high morale and the amount of weapons channeled to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
On the other hand, Russia has not yet fully recovered from the failed attempt to take Kyiv and in eastern Ukraine “often used its officers as cannon fodder”.
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Asked if the war has made Russia a “targetrich environment” for Britain to recruit, Moore said the hope is that Russians in diplomatic and intelligence services might be able to think about what they’re observing and a To make a decision. , like the Prague Spring of 1968, a period of political liberalization in former Czechoslovakia.
The head of MI6 also repeated what the Director of the American Secret Service, the CIA, said last Wednesday the 20th There is no evidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ill or have serious health problems.
During the interview, Moore said it was too early to say whether China has backed off the demand for Taiwan after the West’s response to the war in Ukraine, but said Chinese President Xi Jinping was closely following developments in the conflict observe and that this must not be the case “Underestimate the determination of the United States”.
“On one level, understanding Xi’s strategic intent is not difficult. But when you go beyond that strategy, how they implement it, how they organize, how they do it, what their tactical intentions are and what capabilities they build, that’s a black box,” he said.
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Finally, the head of intelligence added that China is helping Russia by continuing to buy its oil, and that while they’ve been fairly conservative on military aid, “I’m sure if they could do it and get away with it, they would.” You want.”
“The Kremlin is the junior partner and Beijing is in charge,” he concluded.
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