The head of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service, the foreign spy service known as MI6, has warned that Russia "remains an aggressive and expansionist threat", vowing sustained support for Ukraine and calling for greater use of technology to protect UK security.
In her first public speech since taking office in October, MI6 Chief Blaise Metreweli is expected to accuse Moscow of exporting instability as part of its global strategy.
Metreweli will also say President Vladimir Putin should be in “no doubt” about Britain’s continued backing of Ukraine, according to advance extracts of her remarks.
"(Vladimir) Putin should be in no doubt, our support is enduring.The pressure we apply on Ukraine's behalf will be sustained," Metreweli will say on Monday.
She will also say that pressure on Russia will continue until Putin is forced to change his approach, describing chaos as a deliberate feature of Russian foreign policy.
"The export of chaos is a feature not a bug in the Russian approach to international engagement, and we should be ready for this to continue until Putin is forced to change his calculus."
Metreweli will also highlight the need to ramp up the use of technology to tackle threats to UK security, including terrorism and information warfare. She is expected to say intelligence officers must be as skilled in coding as they are in traditional espionage, calling for technology to be embedded across all areas of intelligence work.
"Mastery of technology must infuse everything we do. Not just in our labs, but in the field, in our tradecraft, and even more importantly, in the mindset of every officer. We must be as comfortable with lines of code as we are with human sources, as fluent in Python as we are in multiple languages," she will say.
She is the first woman to lead MI6 service in its 116-year history after replacing Sir Richard Moore.
Over the weekend and last week, Germany has been hosting talks involving the U.S. and Ukrainian delegations on a potential ceasefire deal, ahead of a summit in Berlin later on Monday (15 December) with European leaders.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the UK has imposed sanctions on Russian business figures, political leaders, companies and ships, including the GRU military intelligence agency.
Richard Knighton, head of Britain's armed forces, will also call in a separate speech on Monday for a "whole society" approach to defence in the face of growing uncertainty and threats, and highlight an increased probability of Russia invading a NATO country.
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The United Kingdom, the European Union, Spain and Gibraltar have formally signed a treaty establishing new arrangements for movement and border procedures between Gibraltar and Spain.
Twelve people have been arrested in connection with an alleged extreme right-wing terrorism plot targeting a major Islamic gathering in Suffolk, prompting counter-terrorism police to declare a major incident and bring the event to an early close.
Britain has moved to target Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and another Iran-linked organisation using new state-threat powers following a series of antisemitic incidents across the country.
Five major carmakers have largely won the first stage of a major legal battle at a High Court case brought by around 1.6 million claimants in the UK over allegations that their diesel vehicles were fitted with unlawful "defeat devices" that led to higher emissions.
The United States carried out a third consecutive night of airstrikes against Iran, targeting military capabilities around the Strait of Hormuz as Donald Trump announced the reinstatement of a blockade on Iranian shipping and proposed a 20% fee on cargo passing through the strategic waterway.
President Ilham Aliyev is holding his annual question-and-answer session with international journalists at the 4th Shusha Global Media Forum in Azerbaijan.
The United States and Iran have significantly escalated their conflict, exchanging heavy missile and drone strikes across the Gulf region. Iran claims it has once again closed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global shipping route.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 13th of July, covering the latest developments you need to know.
An overnight fire at a popular bar in Bangkok has killed at least 30 people and injured 70 others, making it one of the deadliest pub disasters in the Thai capital in recent years. Authorities say the venue quickly filled with thick smoke, trapping patrons inside.
The United States carried out a third consecutive night of airstrikes against Iran, targeting military capabilities around the Strait of Hormuz as Donald Trump announced the reinstatement of a blockade on Iranian shipping and proposed a 20% fee on cargo passing through the strategic waterway.
The United States has announced a campaign to weaken the International Criminal Court (ICC), describing the tribunal as a threat to American sovereignty and signalling that further sanctions, visa restrictions and diplomatic pressure on allies could follow.
The United Kingdom, the European Union, Spain and Gibraltar have formally signed a treaty establishing new arrangements for movement and border procedures between Gibraltar and Spain.
Around 500 soldiers from countries supporting Ukraine marched down Paris's Champs-Élysées during France's annual Bastille Day parade. France said the procession, which also included 25 Ukrainian soldiers, demonstrated that Europe was ready to respond to growing international threats.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Tuesday that its Navy had struck U.S. military barracks, a satellite communications centre and a Patriot missile battery in Bahrain, while its Aerospace Force targeted an airbase in Jordan.
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