US, UK intelligence chiefs highlight Russia’s “reckless” sabotage campaign across Europe
That’s according to a first joint op-ed by the heads of MI6 and the CIA, Sir Richard Moore and Bill Burns, posted by the Financial Times, Ukrinform reports.
The two top spies note that in a contested international system, their countries face an unprecedented range of threats.
Mentioning Russia, the heads of MI6 and the CIA said Russian intelligence was waging a “reckless” sabotage campaign in Europe, adding the Kremlin cynically exploits technology to spread lies and disinformation to drive a wedge between democracies.
Regarding Russia's war against Ukraine, the authors of the op-ed note that it is vital to stay the course as Putin is incapable of destroying Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence. Russia's actions are a gross violation of the UN Charter and international norms, the authors stress, adding that their agencies will continue to assist Ukrainian intelligence partners.
Moore and Burns said the war demonstrated the impact of technology on the battlefield.
Ukraine became the first theater of war of its kind where open source software is combined with advanced battlefield technology, involving commercial and military satellite imagery, drones, high and low complexity cyber warfare, social media, open source intelligence, psyops, as well as human and signals intelligence, at an incredible pace and scale. This emphasizes the need for adaptation, experiments, and innovation, the two intelligence chiefs underline.
The heads of intelligence emphasized that together, they are now resisting an assertive Russia as the latter wages a war of aggression in Ukraine.
Burns and Moore recall that their agencies had saw it coming and were able to warn the international community so that the democracies could unite to defend Ukraine.
The article also mentions China, which the authors refer to as the main intelligence and geopolitical challenge of the 21st century, as well as ISIS, which represents a resurgent threat.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, Russia has intensified subversive operations in European countries, trying to undermine the support the nations provide to Ukraine.