Russian Intelligence displays no indicators of intentions to reduce its aggressive covert activities against the United Kingdom in the short term. Recent developments, including the detention of five civilians who acted inside London on behalf of the Wagner Group, as well as the dismantling of a massive foreign espionage operation in Greater Yarmouth, highlight the Kremlin’s strategy to actively recruit operatives from among the civilian population. 

Regarding cyber threats, both the Russian Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) 85th GTsSS and the Federal Security Service (FSB) Centre 18 are confirmed to have executed malicious activities against the Critical National Infrastructure (CNI). The Ministry of Defence reported 90,000 cyberattacks on military personnel in the past two years, with an undisclosed number being attributed to hacker groups with ties to Russian Federation intelligence officers.

Looking forward, the UK is highly likely to maintain a concentrated focus on counterintelligence efforts against Moscow’s operations in Britain, with a particular focus on foreign interference in domestic institutions and state-funded propaganda campaigns. Both the Prime Minister and the Foreign Office confirmed the UK is seeing its biggest increase in defence spending since the Cold War due to the hybrid threats posed by maligned actors.