The United Kingdom Has Begun Spending More On Countering Threats From Russia Than It Did During The Cold War
- 13.10.2026, 19:33
Russia remains London's number one aggressor.
In its confrontation with Western countries, Russia “employs tactics that fall just short—though sometimes by only a hair’s breadth—of open conflict,” said Ken McCallum, director of the British counterintelligence agency MI5 . Over the past decade, the number of cases posing a threat to the United Kingdom from other states has quadrupled, according to Bloomberg reports, citing his remarks at the agency’s headquarters. However, “Russia remains the No. 1 aggressor,” McCallum stated.
Among the vulnerabilities, he cited financial systems, energy grids, supply chains, and manufacturing bases that were established and developed during more peaceful times. Avoiding direct conflict with NATO, Russia is waging a hybrid war aimed at destabilizing Europe. And due to the expulsion of nearly a thousand Kremlin agents, Russia has begun to enlist third-party operatives and criminals for its missions, McCallum explained.
“In 2026, MI5 is allocating more resources to countering threats from other states than it did during the Cold War,” he stated. McCallum also compared the operations of hostile states to the actions of terrorists: “Currently, our operational priorities for countering terrorist and state-sponsored threats are virtually identical in scale—which in itself represents a massive shift in recent years.”
In the UK, a group of people has already been convicted of setting fire to a warehouse owned by a Ukrainian businessman in a London suburb. They also planned an attack on Yevgeny Chichvarkin, his restaurant, and his wine boutique. In September, another man was charged with plotting a sabotage attack at a drone manufacturing plant.
The shift in priorities at the British intelligence agency reflects how Russia’s war in Ukraine, the U.S. conflict with Iran, and advances in artificial intelligence are forcing the European security system to confront a growing number of threats, notes The Wall Street Journal.
Among these, McCallum highlighted increased activity by Iran (50 arrests over the past year) and right-wing extremists, as well as the use of artificial intelligence for hostile purposes. Counterintelligence officials are particularly concerned about the possibility of using AI to develop biological weapons and control drones.
At the same time, McCallum urged against exaggerating the significance of Russian hybrid threats and operations, so as not to play into the Kremlin’s hands. Commenting on a recent statement by Prime Minister Andy Burnham that Russian interference may have influenced the outcome of the 2016 Brexit referendum, he said: “I’m somewhat concerned that we’ll be discussing this for a few more days—and that the Russian trolls, who don’t seem to have been doing any of this (interfering in British domestic affairs—The Moscow Times) at various points in time, will be pleased.”