More than 400 Russian intelligence officers operating under diplomatic cover have been deported, according to Richard Moore
Half of all Russian spies operating under diplomatic cover across Europe have been expelled since the start of the war in Ukraine, the head of MI6 told a US security conference, the Guardian reports.
THE Richard Moorehead of Britain’s M16 agency, said the expulsions of around 400 Russian diplomats from continental European countries, including France and Germany, have dramatically reduced the Kremlin’s spying capabilities.
Speaking at the Aspen security conference, he said Western intelligence agencies had made a fairly concerted effort to disrupt Russian espionage networks since the invasion. “Thus, across Europe, roughly half—at last count a little over 400 Russian intelligence officers operating under diplomatic cover—have been deported,” Moore said. “That probably halved their ability to do their jobs to spy for Russia in Europe».
It is the first time that MI6 publishes its assessment of the impact of coordinated deportations in response to the February invasion. Russian spies, like intelligence officers of almost every major country, routinely pretend to take cover jobs in their country’s embassy. Only a handful of long-time spies – the so-called illegals – pretend to be ordinary citizens, operating outside the diplomatic framework.
THE Germany expelled 40 Russian diplomats in April and France 41. H Britain it is one of the few countries that has not expelled diplomats accused of espionage, although that is largely because the UK told 23 to leave in 2018 after the Salisbury poisonings.
Moore said two spies had been exposed, including a Russian posing as an Irish-Brazilian who had tried and failed to secure an internship at the international criminal court in The Hague in April. A Brazilian court has since convicted him Sergey Cherkasov to 15 years in prison for using fake identity documents.
Moore stated that he believed that Mr war in Ukraine is “a winnable campaign” for Kyiv and that Russia “will find it increasingly difficult to provide manpower and material in the coming weeks”, as the war heads towards a critical phase before the weather turns.
The spy chief appeared to hint that Ukraine, backed by increasing amounts of Western weapons, would attempt to mount a counter-attack in the coming weeks. “It is important, I think for the Ukrainians themselves, to demonstrate their ability to fight back“, he stated.
Moore said he agreed with his CIA counterpart, Bill Burns, that “there are no signs that Putin is suffering from a serious illness.” There was speculation in the early stages of the war that the Russian president had cancer or was taking steroids».
Moore also agreed with the CIA chief that the china he is not supplying Russia with weapons because Beijing is “nervous” about being hit by Western economic sanctions, but said he believes “if they could supply weapons and get away with it, they would.”
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