Secret services: MI5 chief: Russia wants to wreak havoc on Europe’s streets

The head of the British domestic secret service MI5 has clearly warned against serious Russian interference in European security. Russian spies wanted to wreak “sustainable chaos on British and European streets,” Ken McCallum said in his annual threat address in London.

Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin’s “stooges” wanted to strike “in the misguided hope” of weakening the West’s resolve in the Ukraine war, McCallum said, according to the Telegraph newspaper. The expulsion of hundreds of Russian diplomats from European countries on suspicion of espionage has weakened Russia’s ability to cause damage. However, Russia and other states such as Iran are increasingly using criminals for their own purposes.

MI5 boss: Russia is using criminals

“We have seen arson, sabotage and more. Dangerous actions carried out with increasing ruthlessness,” the MI5 chief said. The main mastermind is the Russian military intelligence service GRU, which also carried out the Salisbury poison attack on double agent Sergei Skripal in 2018. Seven people are currently accused of carrying out an arson attack on a Ukrainian company in London on behalf of Russia in March.

According to the intelligence chief, since the beginning of 2022, 20 Iranian-backed plots that would have posed a deadly threat to people in Britain have been foiled with the help of MI5. Due to the complex mix of terrorist threats and threats from other states, his service faces “a damn difficult task,” said McCallum. The number of minors being investigated for terrorism has risen sharply due to recruitment via the Internet.