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MI5 chief warns of Russian disinformation campaigns targeting UK as report warns Western support for Ukraine at risk
8 October 2024, 18:29
Britain's top spy Ken McCallum has warned that Russian disinformation campaigns are posing a growing threat to the UK’s national security, a warning echoed in an exclusive report shared with LBC by the Henry Jackson Society, which details how these efforts aim to undermine Western support for Ukraine and destabilise democracies.
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The director-general of MI5, Ken McCallum, issued a stark warning about the growing threat posed by Russian disinformation and its wider implications for national security.
Speaking from the Counterterrorism Operations Centre, McCallum detailed the evolving landscape of state-sponsored threats, including Russia's increasingly sophisticated information warfare tactics.
"Russian state actors are turning to proxies for their dirty work, including private intelligence operatives and criminals from both the UK and third countries," McCallum said, explaining that these efforts were primarily targeted at undermining the UK's democratic institutions and sowing discord.
He highlighted how the internet has become a crucial platform connecting malign actors, which has altered MI5’s detection challenges.
His comments come as new findings, shared exclusively with LBC by the Henry Jackson Society (HJS), detail how Russian disinformation efforts are designed to destabilise Western support for Ukraine.
According to the HJS report, Russia’s hybrid warfare is expanding, with disinformation campaigns playing a key role in influencing political decisions across Europe and the United States.
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The report explained Russia’s disinformation campaigns aim to erode public support for Ukraine by spreading narratives that exploit existing political and social divisions in the West.
"Russia will continue to use disinformation to try and sway the Western public against supporting Ukraine. Since Ukraine aid is not set in stone, Russia will continue to wage hybrid warfare through all means necessary to support its aims on the battlefield"
And McCallum’s comments underscore the seriousness of these campaigns. Alongside their human intelligence capabilities and advanced cyber operations, Russia’s focus on disinformation has contributed to threats against Western "technology, democracy, journalists, and defenders of human rights," McCallum remarked.
He said that 750 Russian diplomats, most of them spies, have been expelled from Europe since the invasion of Ukraine, further hampering Russia’s ability to cause damage.
However, McCallum warned that despite these disruptions, Russia continues to adjust its strategies, with disinformation remaining a central pillar.
The HJS report further outlines that Russia is targeting not only Ukraine but Western public opinion, as well. In one example, Russia has been accused of promoting false stories about Ukrainian leaders misusing Western aid.
These narratives have gained traction on social media, influencing political debate in countries like the US, where lawmakers have been divided on whether to continue supporting Ukraine militarily.
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McCallum concluded his address with a call for vigilance, stating, "Russia’s disinformation campaigns are part of a broader attempt to weaken Western resolve."
As tensions between the UK and Russia persist, the message from MI5 and the HJS report is clear: the threat from Russian disinformation is not just a challenge for Ukraine but for the entire Western alliance.
Both McCallum and the HJS report call for a concerted effort to counter these campaigns before they further undermine global security.
