Russian ‘campaign’ trying to undermine Britain, officials say
Russia is waging a ‘‘campaign’’ of propaganda and unconventional warfare against Britain, government officials have acknowledged for the first time.
Moscow is behind a concerted drive to undermine the UK through espionage, misinformation, cyberattacks and fake news, senior Whitehall figures believe.
Prime Minister Theresa May will chair a National Security Council session within weeks to examine Russian actions towards Britain and its allies and discuss possible responses.
It is understood that intelligence officers and senior civil servants from across government expressed concern about the growing scale of the Russian threat during a high-level meeting at the Cabinet Office two months ago.
‘‘There was an agreement on the need to do more across Whitehall to understand and assess and formulate options on how to respond to Russian activities,’’ a source with knowledge of the meeting said.
Amid concern that British institutions and companies have been penetrated by Russian agents – including UK citizens – the head of the armed forces has taken the unusual step of calling for increased efforts to catch moles.
‘‘We . . . need to pay more attention to counterespionage and counterintelligence to protect our hard-won research, protect our industry and protect our competitive advantage,’’ Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach said this week.
Although he did not specify the nationality of the agents, the number of Russian spies and ‘‘agents of influence’’ – such as useful MPs wooed by the Russians – in Britain is thought to be higher than during the Cold War.
Military intelligence officials are working more closely with MI5 on Russian issues, including the need to flush out spies. Examples of the new Russian ‘‘hybrid’’ warfare and techniques that could destabilise Britain include:
State-run Russian news outlets, including RT and Sputnik, spreading propaganda to influence British audiences, particularly over key issues such as Brexit and the Scottish independence referendum.
Fears that attempts will be made to discredit hundreds of British troops who will be deployed to Estonia next year, by orchestrating bogus traffic accidents and pub brawls to smear them.
Cyberattacks against companies and infrastructure, though Britain has a policy of not confirming which state or entity conducted an attack.
The deployment of Russia’s only aircraft carrier and a fleet of escort ships directly through the English Channel last month, en route to join the bombing campaign against the Syrian city of Aleppo.
Last year Putin created a national defence centre run by military officers, bringing together hybrid weapons of media, economics, politics, cyber and dirty tricks, to ensure all activity is carried out in pursuit of an agreed goal – such as the collapse of the European Union and Nato.