Russia's ability to spy in Europe cut in half: UK intel chief

Moscow has seen its ability to spy in Europe reduced by half after the expulsion of hundreds of Russian intelligence officers and the detention of a number of deep-cover spies posing as civilians, the chief of Britain’s foreign intelligence service has said.

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Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, European countries have expelled more than 400 Russian intelligence officers operating under diplomatic cover across the bloc, Richard Moore, the head of MI6, the UK's foreign intelligence service, told broadcaster CNN.

“And we reckon, in the UK, that has probably reduced their ability to do their business to spy for Russia in Europe by half,” Moore said in an interview with CNN at the Aspen Security Forum in the western US state of Colorado this week.

A number of “illegals,” or Russian spies operating under deep cover and posing as ordinary civilians, have also been exposed and arrested in recent months, he added during the interview with CNN’s Jim Sciutto, according to the cnn.com website.

.@ChiefMI6 Richard Moore talks to CNN’s @jimsciutto about Russian President Vladimir Putin's "epic fails" in Ukraine and why he thinks Russia is running "out of steam." Watch here: https://t.co/rH7SfhjjVJ

— CNN (@CNN) July 21, 2022

Moore also said he hoped that Russians in the intelligence and diplomatic services will “reflect on what they are witnessing in Ukraine” and decide to “strike back against the system” as many did during the Prague Spring in 1968, CNN reported.

“Our door is always open,” Moore was quoted as saying.

4/ When I pressed him on whether Russian dissent over the war has created a target-rich environment for recruiting Russian assets, he said - with a smile - “our door is always open.” @AspenSecurity

— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) July 21, 2022

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Source: cnn.com