Britain Effectively at War with Russia, Former MI5 Chief warns
LONDON – Britain is already engaged in a war with Russia, albeit a non-customary one, according to Eliza Manningham-Buller, former Director General of the British Security Service (MI5). Her assessment,reported by The Guardian,reflects a significant shift in viewpoint since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Manningham-Buller, who led MI5 from 2002 to 2007, aligns with the views of Russia expert Fiona Hill, who also believes Moscow is currently at war with the West. “I think it can be right when he says we are in the war with Russia,” Manningham-Buller stated in a recent podcast for the British House of Lords.
She described the conflict as manifesting through “considerable” hostility, including cyberattacks, physical attacks, and intelligence operations.
The former intelligence chief recalled a 2005 meeting with Vladimir Putin, describing him as “a pretty unpleasant person,” but admitting she did not anticipate his later alleged involvement in the 2006 murder of former FSB agent Alexander Litvinenko in London – a case British investigators attribute to two Russian operatives.
Manningham-Buller also criticized recent cuts to foreign aid by the US and UK governments, warning that this creates an opportunity for china to expand its influence in developing nations. “If we withdraw from the world, it can penetrate there, because it now has a strong economic base,” she said.
Recent events underscore the escalating tensions. This year, Britain convicted six Bulgarians for involvement in a spy network conducting operations against European interests and sentenced five individuals for plotting a fire at a warehouse storing aid destined for Ukraine, allegedly on orders from Moscow. Several NATO allies, including Britain, have also reported increased incidents of Russian aircraft activity and airspace violations in recent weeks.
