Latest news with #MI6
BBC News
an hour ago
- Business
- BBC News
Newscast Ex MI6 Chief On The Future of UK Defence
Today, we look at the future of defence for the UK, ahead of a major strategic defence review from the government. Defence Secretary John Healey has said there is "no doubt" that UK defence spending will rise to 3% of GDP by 2034. Sir Alex Younger, former head of MI6, joins Laura and Paddy to talk about where the threats are, and what it should be spent on. You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast'. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Laura Kuenssberg and Paddy O'Connell. It was made by Chris Flynn with Rufus Gray. The technical producer was Michael Regaard. The weekend series producer is Chris Flynn. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The editor is Sam Bonham.
Daily Mail
19 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Keir Starmer's plans for 'return hubs' to take migrants from the UK could be hijacked by Russian spies, MI6 warns
Sir Keir Starmer 's plan for 'return hubs' to take migrants from the UK could be hijacked by Russian spies, the intelligence services have warned. The Prime Minister is eyeing up deals with Balkan countries, and some in Africa, to house failed asylum seekers. But MI6 have warned the Government that proximity to Russia opens up the scheme to infiltration by Kremlin agents. Opening facilities and putting infrastructure into such places would put Britain within 'a Russian sphere of influence', The Times reported. Despite this, Labour is still looking to strike deals with the likes of Serbia, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Sir Keir had hoped Albania would join the scheme but was left embarrassed earlier this month when he travelled there, only to be rebuffed by PM Edi Rama. A Government source told the newspaper: 'You'd be planting a prime bit of British interest, British real estate, right into an area where Russia has the ability to control and influence much more than other areas in the world. 'The security view was that it was not sensible or viable. It was based on the evidence that we've seen Russia being willing to use migration as a vehicle to exploit.' The Foreign Office said it would not provide a 'running commentary' on the plans and declined to comment further. British spies are said to be alarmed by growing Russian influence across the western Balkans, warning that the region's deep ties to Moscow pose a significant risk to UK interests. All six western Balkan nations—once part of communist Yugoslavia—are seen as vulnerable to Kremlin interference, according to a senior security source. The source explained that Russia has countless levers it can pull, whether it's through cyber attacks, bribery, embedding allies in government, or pushing propaganda to shift public thinking, Moscow knows how to destabilise. They went on to say there's a serious threat from organised criminal groups tied to Russia, and real questions about whether the region's police forces can cope. MI6 is particularly concerned about Serbia, where President Aleksandar Vucic has built close ties with Vladimir Putin. He's visited Moscow several times in the past year, most recently appearing alongside the Russian president at the Victory Day parade. Officials have also raised alarms over Serbia's visa-free access for Russian citizens, and reports that arms shipments have passed through the country unimpeded. Despite the warnings, Britain has begun informal talks about migrant return deals with several Balkan countries, including Kosovo. Kosovan President Vjosa Osmani has said her country is 'open to discussions' about taking failed UK asylum seekers. But legal experts say the plan is fraught with challenges. Several European countries still refuse to recognise Kosovo as independent, and it is not a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights, making any agreement legally and diplomatically complicated.
Times
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Times
Migrant return hubs could be hijacked by Russian spies
Sir Keir Starmer is pressing ahead with plans to deport migrants to 'return hubs' in the western Balkans despite an MI6 warning that they could be hijacked by Russian spies. Security advice from the intelligence service says the region is unsafe for migrant deportation schemes because of its proximity to Russia, government sources have told The Times. The advice privately warned that the proposals would mean creating sensitive national infrastructure and facilities in 'a Russian sphere of influence' that could be infiltrated and targeted by agents working on behalf of the Kremlin. Migrants sent to the region could also be targeted and exploited by President Putin's regime, the advice warned. This month the prime minister confirmed revelations by The Times that the government was in talks with 'a number of countries' about return hubs, which he described as 'a really important innovation'. Serbia, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina are on a shortlist of about nine countries drawn up by ministers and officials as potential destinations to which rejected asylum seekers would be sent after all avenues of appeal have been exhausted in the UK. Record numbers of migrants are crossing the Channel in small boats to reach Britain SAMEER AL-DOUMY/AFP/GETTY IMAGES Albania had also been on the list but was ruled out by Edi Rama, its prime minister, this month. A plan for offshore migrant hubs in the Balkans was blocked in light of MI6 concerns when the previous Conservative government drew up a shortlist of countries for a Rwanda-style deportation scheme in 2022. The list included Albania and Moldova, according to a government official who worked on the proposals. Separate security sources have said that the same concerns have been raised in response to Starmer's efforts to open return hubs in the region. A government source who was briefed by security officials warning against the Balkans region said: 'The advice we got was you'd be sending people into a Russian sphere of interest. 'They cited critical UK national infrastructure, facilities and systems that would be set up that could be infiltrated by the Russians by installing agents and other personnel working in the interest of the Kremlin. 'You'd be planting a prime bit of British interest, British real estate, right into an area where Russia has the ability to control and influence much more than other areas in the world. 'The security view was that was not sensible or viable. 'It was based on the evidence that we've seen Russia being willing to use migration as a vehicle to exploit. 'Putting a massive processing site for immigration claims right next to a hostile state was not deemed sensible from a security perspective.' MI6 is said to be concerned over plans relating to all of the western Balkan nations, according to a security source who pointed out that they are all former states of the communist Yugoslavia regime. 'The concerns are at different stages. Serbia is the worst, some of them are more of a threat than others,' the source said. 'This is the former Yugoslavia — the Russian links are pretty clear. 'There are hundreds of ways that Russia can influence these governments, whether it be digitally, physically, levels of corruption, live proxies by installing pro-Russian figures in governments or inadvertently influencing people to take a Russian frame of mind. 'Russia also uses organised gangs and there is a question about the capacity for these countries' law and order to handle those threats.' They pointed out that President Vucic of Serbia is a close ally of Putin who has visited Moscow several times in the past year, most recently when he attended Russia's Victory Day parade in Red Square. Presidents Vucic and Putin at the Kremlin in 2018 MIKHAIL SVETLOV/GETTY IMAGES Another reason cited by security officials were rules allowing Russian citizens and passport holders to move freely in and out of Serbia, as well as reports of Russian arms being allowed to move freely through the country. Britain began informal talks over return hubs with several countries, including Kosovo, this week. President Osmani of Kosovo has said her country would be 'open' to talks over a potential deal to take Britain's failed asylum seekers. However, experts have warned about the legal hurdles given that several European countries do not recognise the nation's independence and because it is not a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Downing Street is understood to have set a target to announce return hub destinations by the time Britain hosts a meeting of western Balkan leaders in London in the autumn, where illegal migration will be top of the agenda. However, there is increasing frustration at the centre of government over the lack of progress made by the Home Office on what form it wants return hubs to take.
ABC News
a day ago
- General
- ABC News
Russia is expanding its espionage output at a 'staggeringly reckless' rate. Here's why
Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, European countries have expelled at least 750 Russian diplomats accused of espionage. NATO says it has been the largest counterintelligence operation in the West since the Cold War. In early May, six Bulgarian spies were jailed in the United Kingdom for feeding sensitive information to Russia. NATO's deputy assistant secretary-general James Appathurai said Russia had a "higher risk appetite" towards espionage in 2025, and he believed the nation had increased its spying output. Richard Moore, head of MI6, the UK's foreign intelligence agency, said Russia was on a "mission to generate mayhem". Dennis Desmond, a former special agent with the US Defense Intelligence Agency, said the arrests and charges the world saw were just the "tip of the iceberg". He said for every Russian spy caught, there was a much larger, much scarier number still operating. Russia's security and espionage network falls into three branches — the Federal Security Service (FSB), the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) and the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces (GRU). In 2022, according to a Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) report, Russia changed how it deployed spy operations "to prepare for destabilisation" in Europe and further afield. It found Russia made changes to its spy program in reaction to "the eventual counterintelligence regime" from Ukraine's allies. The report's primary conclusions were that Russia's special services were actively seeking to expand in order to pose strategic threats to NATO members. A NATO analysis said it was concerned by the "intensifying campaign of activities which Russia continues to carry out across the Euro-Atlantic area", and that Russia poses a "threat to Allied security". The RUSI report says the GRU "is restructuring how it manages the recruitment and training of special forces troops" and is "rebuilding" its apparatus to a higher level than before. A separate report went a step further to say Russia was "conducting an escalating and violent campaign of sabotage and subversion" led by Russian military intelligence (GRU), according to a new CSIS database of Russian activity. A lot of this escalation is happening in two GRU units — Unit 29155 and Unit 54654. Recruitment to Unit 29155 focuses on individuals without military backgrounds, trained within the GRU, reflecting a shift towards generating cleanskins — someone not on the radar of any security services — for operations. Unit 54654 operates differently. It recruits personnel without military contracts and contractors, through front companies to avoid government records. There are other GRU organisations involved in subversive activities — particularly cyber intelligence — such as Unit 26165, also known as Fancy Bear, and Unit 74455, also referred to as Sandworm. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the European Union, the UK and the United States have all imposed sanctions on it aimed at cutting oil revenues that are funding the war. The sanctions have led to the rise of a vast "shadow fleet" of tankers helping Moscow keep its crude exports flowing and funding its war plans. Dr Desmond said the sanctions "don't really hurt Russia" as intended. "They've already got so many sanctions against them, and Western nations are going to keep making more sanctions, and really that hurts the population, not the government or politicians," he said. "Russia is going to continue to do what they do through the support of China, North Korea, Iran, Venezuela and other countries who are able to circumvent sanctions and provide support." He said these sympathetic nations were "assisting Russia intelligence collection" to build what he described as a "giant vacuum" of information that no matter the sanctions or restrictions, Russia will continue to operate. "Yes, Australians should be concerned about Russian — and other — spies potentially operating in Australia," Sarah Kendall, an expert in legislative response to espionage said. ASIO director-general Mike Burgess said in February that "it is conceivable Russia could also target Australia for sabotage". "The war in Europe prompted a more aggressive and reckless Russian intelligence apparatus to target Ukraine's supporters, including Australia," he said. Dr Kendall said Russian spies were not only targeting government officials or those with access to classified information. "They are targeting a wide range of people for a wide range of information, including information that may seem innocuous," she said. "Because of this, we all have a role to play in security." We have already seen allegations of Russian spying on Australian soil — Kira and Igor Korolev were charged with spying offences in 2024. But ASIO says it has increased its counterespionage work since then and uses Australia's strong laws against espionage and foreign interference. "ASIO's more aggressive counterespionage posture has made it more difficult and expensive for foreign spies to operate in Australia," Mr Burgess said. Dr Desmond said there could be more spies operating on our shores, and they would be "very difficult to identify". "They eat, sleep, look like, sound like and act like Australians," he said. "They engage in clandestine collection operations, they recruit sources and agents, and they conduct sabotage assassinations. The Western world is well aware of Russia's increased espionage output over recent years but fear of "uncontained escalation" is stopping the West from properly extinguishing the mounting threat, according to the RUSI report. The report highlighted to the West that Russia was expanding its influence to "evade containment, and destabilise and disrupt its adversaries". The report states that spy work is not new in Russia, and no matter how long it takes "they have the patience to keep going". "They will continue to engage in espionage, they will continue to engage in strategic planning and operations in order to be successful at gaining the information intelligence that they absolutely need," Dr Desmond said. He said they do this while "simultaneously influencing decision makers abroad through disinformation campaigns" and "influencing political decisions and elections where they can". In his opinion the West is already at war with Russia — a "cyber espionage war".
India Today
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- India Today
Priyanka Chopra shares peaceful cloud-gazing moment with daughter Malti Marie
Actor Priyanka Chopra shared a quiet moment with her daughter, Malti Marie, on Wednesday via Instagram stories. The photo captures the two cloud-gazing by a waterfront during what appears to be late picture, which quickly went viral, shows Priyanka cradling Malti in her arms as they look out over a peaceful waterfront scene. The moment was taken in the soft light of the golden hour. Malti, dressed in a soft pink top and light pants, rests comfortably against her mother, while Priyanka sports a two-toned jacket and a casual cap. Behind them, the partly cloudy sky reflects in the calm waters. Priyanka Chopra shares cloud-gazing moment with daughter Malti Marie (Photo Credit: Instagram/Priyanka Chopra) advertisementThe post comes shortly after Priyanka's dazzling appearance in Sicily for Bvlgari's prestigious 'A Night in Sicily' event. Despite her busy schedule, the actor continues to share glimpses of her adorable family moments. In recent days, photos of the actor with her husband, Nick Jonas, and their daughter have surfaced online, showing the family spending time together outdoors. The couple, who married in a grand celebration in Rajasthan in 2018, welcomed Malti via surrogacy in January then, both Priyanka and Nick have made it a point to occasionally share heartfelt moments from their parenting the work front, Priyanka is set to star in the action-packed film 'Heads of State', premiering on Prime Video. Directed by Ilya Naishuller, the movie features an ensemble cast including Idris Elba and John Cena. Priyanka will portray MI6 agent Noel Bisset in the film, which will be released in six languages including English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam. She is also gearing up for her next big project with director SS Rajamouli, co-starring Telugu superstar Mahesh Watch
