U.K. Spy Chief Warns of Growing Russia Threat in Europe

Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, has issued a warning about the increasing threat Russia poses to Western nations. According to the agency's new chief, Blaise Metreweli, Russia is actively engaged in a range of hostile activities throughout Europe, including planning arson, sabotage, assassinations, and deploying cyber and drone attacks.

Metreweli, who took over as the first female head of MI6 in October after a career as an intelligence agent, delivered her inaugural speech at the agency's headquarters. She emphasized that Russia's approach to international relations involves the deliberate creation of chaos, stating, "The export of chaos is a feature, not a bug, in the Russian approach to international engagement."

In her address, Metreweli painted a stark picture of a "new age of uncertainty," where Russia, along with other adversarial powers, utilizes cyber warfare and disinformation campaigns to disrupt Western democracies and sow division.

To counter these threats, Metreweli stressed the need for intelligence agencies to embrace artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies. She advocated for forging alliances within the broader tech industry and fostering a new mindset among intelligence officers.

"Mastery of technology must infuse everything we do," she stated, highlighting the importance of technological proficiency in all aspects of intelligence work. She added that agents should be as familiar with coding languages like Python as they are with human intelligence sources and foreign languages.

Metreweli's emphasis on technology is unsurprising, given her background. A Cambridge University graduate, she previously served as MI6's director general of technology and innovation, a role akin to the "Q" figure known for developing gadgets in the James Bond films.