The head of MI6 will warn the Kremlin on Monday not to underestimate the UK’s capabilities after a brazen nerve agent attack on a retired double agent in England stoked fears about Russian covert activity abroad.
Alex Younger will describe how intelligence agency known formally as the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) is developing a “fourth generation of espionage” as adversaries take advantage of the “blurred lines” between the cyber and physical worlds.
Relations between the U.K. and Russia have been at the lowest ebb since the Cold War following the poisoning of a former Russian double-agent and his daughter in March. That attack, which used nerve-grade chemical weapons, left one civilian dead. Prime Minister Theresa May retaliated by expelling dozens of Russian spies and persuading other western allies to follow suit.
Making his second major speech since becoming “C” four years ago, to head the Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, Alex Younger will say Russia has a stance of “perpetual confrontation” with the West.
He also stated “I want to speak to young people who have never seen themselves in MI6…. If you want to make a difference and you think you might have what it takes, then the chances are that you do have what it takes, and we hope you will step forward.”
> Shiuly Rina
