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Russia Turns to Criminals for Hire After Europe Expels Its Spies, MI5 Warns
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MI5 Director General Ken McCallum stated on October 13 that Russia remains Britain’s “number one aggressor” and is waging hybrid warfare across Europe while making limited and costly military gains in Ukraine.
Speaking at MI5 headquarters in London, McCallum described the growing threat from hostile states, including Russia, Iran, and China, according to the BBC.
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Britain’s domestic intelligence service is now devoting more resources to countering state threats than during the Cold War, McCallum noted. He described Russian efforts to destabilize European countries as part of a broader campaign accompanying Moscow’s war against Ukraine.
Following the expulsion of Russian intelligence officers from European countries, Moscow has increasingly turned to criminal proxies, according to the MI5 chief. He warned that Russian intelligence services were recruiting criminals to conduct operations in exchange for money.
McCallum argued that Russia’s reliance on such methods reflected its weakened intelligence presence abroad and limited battlefield progress in Ukraine.
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Moscow's reliance on criminal intermediaries has become a defining feature of its campaign against Europe's defense sector.
Earlier reports indicated that Russia's military intelligence agency, the GRU, is believed to be coordinating much of the activity, recruiting local intermediaries from organized criminal networks and distributing assignments across several countries.
Suspected operatives have conducted surveillance of potential targets near their homes and workplaces, and at least one defense company has relocated its production to another part of Western Europe.
In January 2025, US and German intelligence agencies thwarted a Russian plot to assassinate Armin Papperger, CEO of German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall.
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