About 40 Russian Spies Operating in UK — Paper

MosNews
Jan. 26, 2006

London is worried by Russian espionage activity — in 2005, the British Home Office estimated the number of Russian spies in the UK at 40 agents, an American weekly reported Wednesday.

The high level of Russian espionage activity in the UK is a serious limitation on bilateral relations, said Jane’s Intelligence Digest.

A leaked Home Office memo dating back to early 2005 indicates that 18 SVR (political intelligence) and 18 GRU (defense intelligence) officers operate under diplomatic cover in Britain, aggressively searching for British military and industrial data, and targeting the Chechen Diaspora.

Russian services are assessed by MI5 as posing a “substantial espionage threat”. Prime Minister Blair is believed to have raised this issue with President Putin on several occasions, but Britain’s position as a key ally to the U.S. means it is likely to remain a major target of Russian intelligence operations, the paper added.

Russia and Britain are currently engaged in a diplomatic row concerning intelligence agencies activities.

Russia’s FSB has established that four British Embassy employees using electronic equipment concealed in a rock in a Moscow park to receive intelligence from Russian agents. The Foreign Office said British officials “reject any allegation of improper conduct in our dealing with Russian NGOs.”