Putin will send ‘army of saboteurs’ to disrupt UK and swing opinion against Ukraine, MI5 warns
Putin will send ‘army of saboteurs’ to disrupt UK and swing opinion against war in Ukraine after reports of new Kremlin disinformation campaign, Home Secretary and PM warned by MI5
MI5 security officials are reportedly on high alert amid fears of Russian sabotagePutin is set to send intelligence agents to ‘swing public opinion against Ukraine’That could be achieved by attacks on key infrastructure including power stationsHome Secretary and Downing Street have been briefed by intelligence chiefsFollows news FSB ‘troll farms’ will spread disinformation in Kremlin campaign
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Priti Patel and Boris Johnson have been warned by MI5 that Vladimir Putin could send an army of saboteurs to attack public infrastructure including power stations.
Britain’s domestic counter-intelligence agency is reportedly on ‘high alert’ amid the fears of Russian agents set to infiltrate the UK.
Threats include ‘deniable’ infrastructure attacks and operations to humiliate the UK government in an effort swing public opinion against Britain’s support for Ukraine.
‘There is a serious concern that officers or agents attached to Russia’s security services may attempt to enter the UK and target strategic locations,’ a security source said.
Vladimir Putin has reportedly ordered intelligence officials to sabotage key UK infrastructure
Special Branch cops will now increase the monitoring of travellers to the UK, the source told The Sunday Express.
Putin’s FSB security agency, formerly known as the KGB, is clamouring to restore its reputation amid repeated intelligence failures in Ukraine.
One of its most important officers is thought to have been locked up at Moscow’s most notorious prison as Putin raged about a flurry of unexpected challenges.
The source confirmed Boris Johnson, Home Secretary Priti Patel and GCHQ have been briefed.
The Ministry of Defence and the Foreign Office did not comment when contacted by MailOnline.
Home Secretary Priti Patel (pictured in 2021) was briefed on the matter, a source said
They added: ‘We are well aware of their capabilities and have seen how Putin is using these agencies in Eastern Europe.’
The news emerged as Russia is set to unleash a mass of ‘troll farms’ in a striking disinformation campaign against the UK.
New government-funded research revealed today that Moscow is conducting a large-scale cyber operation to spread support for the war in Ukraine over social media and via the comments sections of major news sites.
Operatives were found to be ordering followers to target Western media outlets and politicians including Mr Johnson, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell with pro-war comments under their social media posts.
One such troll farm – the ominously-named ‘Cyber Front Z’ – is said to operate out of a rented warehouse in Russia’s second city St. Petersburg, where workers are believed to be paid up to 45,000 roubles (£500) per month to post 200 pro-war and pro-Putin comments per day to platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok.
The Russian FSB spy agency (Moscow HQ pictured) is clamouring to restore its reputation
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said yesterday: ‘We cannot allow the Kremlin and its shady troll farms to invade our online spaces with their lies about Putin’s illegal war.
‘The UK Government has alerted international partners and will continue to work closely with allies and media platforms to undermine Russian information operations.’
The Foreign Office was not identifying the researchers behind the work amid concerns over their safety for conducting work critical of the Russian president’s regime.
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said: ‘These are insidious attempts by Putin and his propaganda machine to deceive the world about the brutality he’s inflicting on the people of Ukraine.
‘This evidence will help us to more effectively identify and remove Russian disinformation and follows our decisive action to block anyone from doing business with Kremlin-controlled outlets RT and Sputnik.’
