Russia behind 'staggeringly reckless' sabotage in Europe

Russia behind 'staggeringly reckless' sabotage in Europe, says head of
UK's MI6

Russia is waging a "staggeringly reckless campaign" of sabotage in
Europe while also stepping up its nuclear sabre-rattling to scare
other countries off from backing Ukraine, the head of the UK's Secret
Intelligence Service known as MI6, said on Friday.

Richard Moore said in a speech in Paris on Friday that were Vladimir
Putin to succeed in reducing Ukraine to a vassal state, he would not
stop there, reports Reuters.

"Our security - British, French, European and transatlantic- will be
jeopardised," he said, adding:

    We have recently uncovered a staggeringly reckless campaign of
Russian sabotage in Europe, even as Putin and his acolytes resort to
nuclear sabre-rattling to sow fear about the consequences of aiding
Ukraine."

He said the cost of supporting Ukraine was well known, but added:

    The cost of not doing so would be infinitely higher. If Putin
succeeds China would weigh the implications, North Korea would be
emboldened and Iran would become still more dangerous."

Reuters repots that Moore's speech seemed aimed at rallying wavering
European allies and any sceptics in the incoming US administration of
Donald Trump about the importance of Ukraine. He joins other western
intelligence officials in warning about increasing Russian sabotage
actions.

Nato and western intelligence services have said that Russia is behind
a growing number of hostile activities across the Euro-Atlantic area,
ranging from repeated cyber-attacks to Moscow-linked arson - all of
which Russia denies.

The UK's domestic spy chief said last month that Russia's GRU military
intelligence service was seeking to cause "mayhem" across the UK and
Europe. And sources familiar with US intelligence told Reuters this
week that Russia was likely to expand its campaign of sabotage against
European targets to increase pressure on the west over its support for
Kyiv.

Moore added that cooperation between the UK and the US had made its
societies safer, and that that would continue. "I worked successfully
with the first Trump administration to advance our shared security and
look forward to doing so again," he said.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/nov/29/ukraine-war-live-russian-defence-minister-north-korea-military-vladimir-putin-volodymyr-zelenskyy