Putin has around 1,000 spies in the UK working in regular jobs, including school teachers. One intelligence source said that “Russia has created extensive and sophisticated networks of people operating in all walks of life”
Russia has around 1,000 secret agents stationed in the UK. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s agents are hiding behind ordinary jobs, from taxi drivers to bar staff, and university employees, an intelligence analysis reveals. The spies even penetrated high levels of government, the Daily Mirror reported. An intelligence source said that “Russia has created extensive and sophisticated networks of people operating in all walks of life.”
The source added: “No one should think they are immune. I’m talking about students, trade unions, protest groups, teachers, Uber drivers and also politicians, the civil service and the police.” The number of spies working in the Russian embassy in London has decreased in recent years – but the numbers of “unknowns” have increased. In 2018, former double agent Sergei Skripal and daughter Yulia were poisoned in Salisbury, three Russian spies were accused of the poisoning.
Calls are being made for the public to be warned of the insider threat in the same way they were alerted to the IRA during the Troubles.https://t.co/qo3JZcL70Q
— The Mirror (@DailyMirror) November 12, 2022
There are around 73,000 Russian expatriates in Britain, and the British believe that some information is reaching the Kremlin. In addition, a number of Britons are loyal to Russia. Last Friday, security guard David Smith, 58, pleaded guilty to sharing secrets with Russia while working at the British Embassy in Berlin, the Daily Mirror reported.
Putin’s agents spy on nuclear power plants and military bases, the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy, including in Scotland, where Britain’s nuclear submarines are based. Former military intelligence officer Colonel Philip Ingram said: “The numbers involved in espionage could easily be over 1,000. “They use all the old skills, infiltrating organizations and recruiting spies. The threat is widespread.”