Expert’s insight into the Russian spies in the UK
Huddersfield, who has written books on the intelligence services and is an expert on spies and the Cold War said: “The expulsion of 23 Russian intelligence officers is a very strong response and will be viewed with deep concern in Moscow as it will have a significant impact on its intelligence gathering activities in the UK.
“A few intelligence officers, although identified, have probably been excluded from those expelled so that the security service continues to keep track of their activities to see what targets they are interested in.
“That will probably include technology, cyber defences, Anglo-American intelligence activities, Syria and relations with Germany and France.
“The evidence would suggest that the Russian intelligence service is not what it was and has failed to recruit high-level sources and is reliant on low-level intelligence and open sources.
“The security service will be pleased as it will release resources to enable them to track and follow other targets. Less pleased will be the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), which always finds it difficult to operate in Russia and will now be contacting its agents to organise new contact arrangements in the expectation that almost all MI6 officers will be expelled tit-for-tat from Moscow.
“MI6 has always advocated caution in government responses as it sometimes takes years to reorganise their intelligence gathering networks and agents.
“However, up to 90% of intelligence comes from electronic sources and is mostly generated by the NSA-GCHQ alliance, which will not be effected unless Russia engages in a more intense cyber war.
“There is still, however, an intelligence gap. Do the British or Americans have an agent in the tight circle around Putin? Probably not, as they failed to penetrate the Politburo during the Cold War.
“Unless they do then we are largely in the dark about Russia’s response and longer term activities.
“As a biographer of Sir Oswald Mosley, I recognise in the Russian leader similar traits to those of the British fascist – the pathological narcissism, overbearing hubris, ideas of a ‘Greater’ Russia and Russia ‘First,’ the contempt for democracy and the love of militarism and military campaigns. To which can be added attacks on political opponents and the willingness to use violence.”