UK intelligence warns of GRU‑backed terror plots in NATO nations
12 May 2024 12:03
The British warn that agents of the Russian military intelligence GRU are recruiting terrorists to carry out attacks on NATO countries' territories. The United Kingdom and other Western nations are expected soon to experience the disruptive activities of far-right extremists financed by Moscow.
"The Sunday Telegraph" reported the latest findings of British intelligence on Sunday. The newspaper referenced intelligence sources and information provided to the National Security News portal.
Not only GRU agents but also former members of the mercenary Wagner Group are believed to be involved in recruiting potential perpetrators of terrorist attacks. Intelligence from Britain indicates that in the past six months, individuals targeted through such recruitment efforts have attempted acts of political violence in Western European countries and the US.
An example of an individual intended to cause disruption is the Russian military attaché in Great Britain, Colonel Maksim Yelovik, who was expelled by London just days ago amid suspicions of espionage.
Similar incidents, where right-wing terrorists hired by the Kremlin organized provocations or obtained strategic information, have also been reported in other Alliance countries, including occurrences in the US and Germany.
Intelligence agencies are actively alerting Western governments to the genuine threat of pro-Russian, pro-Putin envoys escalating their activities.
"The Sunday Telegraph" quotes Thomas Haldenwang, head of the German counterintelligence agency BfV. In April, during a security conference, he warned of plans by Russian saboteurs with a "high potential for damage." "We assess the risk of state-controlled acts of sabotage to be significantly increased," he said.
Following the Salisbury chemical attack in 2018, which targeted former Russian services officer Sergei Skripal, the United Kingdom expelled over 20 Russian spies. Consequently, it is speculated that the Kremlin might adopt a tactic akin to that used by Iran, utilizing local organized crime groups to execute commissioned acts of terror or political violence within specific countries.
