The head of British counterintelligence, Ken McCallum, believes that the expulsion of such a number of spies is the strongest strategic blow to Moscow.
The expulsion of more than 400 suspected Russian spies from across Europe this year dealt Russia its most significant strategic blow. It also surprised Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin. This is what the head of British counterintelligence (MI5) Ken McCallum said, Reuters reported on Wednesday, November 16.
According to him, a large number of Russian officials have been expelled from various countries around the world, including more than 600 from Europe. Of these, more than 400 are recognized as spies by the Russian special services.
“This gave the most important strategic blow to the Russian intelligence services in the recent history of Europe. And together with the coordinated waves of sanctions, this scale got the way unexpectedly,” the head of the department believes .
He added that the UK had rejected more than 100 Russian applications for diplomatic visas this year on national security grounds.
McCallum also commented on Moscow’s assumptions about Britain’s involvement in blowing up the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea. He called them vain.
Recall that former employees of the Russian embassy, who were expelled from the Netherlands in the spring, worked for Russian intelligence and were engaged in counter-espionage.
We added that the former guard of the British Embassy in Berlin, 58-year-old David Ballantyne Smith, faces up to 14 years in prison. The man admitted to the accusations of spying for Russia.
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Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.