“Today we find ourselves working together in a contested international system in which our two countries face an unprecedented array of threats,” MI6 Director Richard Moore and CIA Director Bill Burns wrote in the first-ever joint article by British and American intelligence chiefs.
“There is no doubt that world order – a sustainable system that has led to relative peace and stability and has provided rising standards of living, opportunity and prosperity – is threatened in a way we haven't seen since the Cold War” – they emphasized.
MI6 and CIA warn of Russia: 'Sabotage campaign across Europe'
The intelligence chiefs noted that “the activities Russia constitute a flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter and global norms.”
They also noted that apart from military operations in Ukraine Russia conducts through its intelligence services “reckless campaign of sabotage throughout Europe” and “cynically uses technology to spreading lies and disinformationaimed at driving a wedge between us.”
They did not mention any specific examples, but in recent months in various European countries there was a series of mysterious acts of sabotage and arson of infrastructureand U.S. intelligence also reportedly foiled an alleged Russian plot to assassinate the CEO of a leading German arms manufacturer.
Moore and Burns stressed that when it comes to aid for Ukraine, “it is more important than ever to stay the course. Putin will not succeed in destroying Ukraine's sovereignty and independence.”
Intelligence chiefs point out threats
British directors noted that the conflict demonstrated the impact of technology on the battlefield.
“Ukraine is the first war of its kindwhich combined open-source software with cutting-edge battlefield technology, leveraging commercial and military satellite imagery, drone technology, high- and low-level cyberwarfare, social media, open-source intelligence, unmanned aerial and maritime vehicles, and information operations – as well as human and signals intelligence – at unprecedented speed and scale,” they wrote.
As for other threats, They pointed to China They called the conflict “the preeminent intelligence and geopolitical challenge of the 21st century”, raised the issue of covert action their agencies were taking to reduce the risk of wider conflict in the Middle East and revealed that MI6 and the CIA were “working relentlessly to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza”, as well as highlighting the resurgent threat from ISIS.