The Daily Express reports that the Special Branch has been tasked with increasing surveillance of people traveling in the country, according to sources. The Prime Minister and his Chief of Staff, Steve Barkley, have been briefed on the situation, while GCHQ is reportedly in contact with European colleagues. The threats range from “questionable” attacks on key infrastructure to operations aimed at humiliating the British government and reducing popular support for actions that help the Ukrainian struggle. A security source said: “There is serious concern that officers or agents linked to Russia’s security services may attempt to enter the UK and target strategic locations. Read more: Russian state television simulates creepy nuclear attack that would wipe out London and Paris “We are well aware of their potential and we have seen Putin use these services in Eastern Europe.” Evidence has also emerged of a new and widespread misinformation campaign, which according to the Foreign Office is linked to troll farms in St. Petersburg. Ed Johnson, head of global intelligence at Sibylline Strategic Risk Group, said there were a number of possible targets for an aspiring saboteur. He said: “They will aim to sow chaos, panic or distrust in the government. “This can range from the demolition of a substation and the amplification of the result through a cyber attack, to the transfer of hard currency to Britain to fund separatist organizations, to the targeting of ministers, agents and officials and the publication of shameful documents. “The aim is to humiliate Britain and reduce popular support for Ukraine. “You do not have to blow up a power plant to do that.” He said the Russian intelligence service, the FSB, was ashamed of its failures in Ukraine and “had a lot to prove now.” “Russia’s three intelligence services, the most traditional SVR, the military GRU and the FSB, all have intelligence units and are highly competitive. “The FSB has a lot of ground to cover after its failed intelligence updates in Moscow in the run-up to the February 24 invasion.” He added: “It should come as no surprise that the United Kingdom is Russia’s number one target in Europe. The United Kingdom is considered Kiev’s most ardent ally. “It signed a policy, a free trade agreement and a strategy in January, before the conflict, and after the invasion set a precedent that others followed to increase pressure on Russia.” UK-Russia relations have plummeted since the poisoning of former spy Alexander Litvinenko in 2006 and soared after the Salisbury poisonings in 2018. Since then, the UK has been coordinating the largest expulsion of Russian intelligence since the end of War, with more than 100 diplomats deported from Britain, the US, France, Germany and Hungary. In March, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peshkov said Russia saw Johnson as “the most active participant in the race to be anti-Russian.” Meanwhile, it was revealed last night that Russia had launched an “extensive and large-scale” new disinformation campaign. The company is said to have links to a troll factory in St. Petersburg run by Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the infamous bot-farm, Internet Research Agency. With lessons from Isis and QAnon, the followers follow the rules of social media on Telegram, Twitter, Facebook and TikTok, targeting Kremlin politicians and critics. They also boost genuine and “nice” accounts by boosting their reach with additional followers. “We can not allow the Kremlin and its shady troll farms to invade our Internet sites with lies about Putin’s war,” said Secretary of State Liz Tras. “The UK government has alerted its international partners and will continue to work closely with allies and media platforms to undermine Russian intelligence operations.” Last night, Dr. Taras Kuzio of the Henry Jackson Society’s think tank said, “Putin is angry that his invasion and entry into the books of Russian history is not going to be planned, and he is angry that Russia seems incapable of attack military convoys entering Ukraine with weapons. He has been forced to look for other goals. “There is no doubt that the United Kingdom is at the top of the list as a major supplier of military equipment. Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Ben Wallace were very strong. James Heappey’s statement that Ukraine has the right to target Russia and Liz Truss’s hard-line approach to the negotiations also angered him. “Any Russian activity in Britain will now go beyond simply gathering information. We are talking about more active measures such as targeting power plants and humiliating the government. “ Read more related articles Read more related articles
