MI5 chief calls Russia Britain's "aggressor number one"

British counterintelligence service MI5 is devoting more effort to countering threats from foreign states than during the Cold War. This opinion was expressed by the head of the agency, Ken McCallum, in his annual report assessing threats to the United Kingdom.

"It may surprise you, but in 2026 MI5 is directing more resources to countering threats from foreign states than during the Cold War. Over the past decade, the number of cases related to such threats handled by our service has quadrupled," McCallum said.

He added that in the work of the British intelligence services and police, "the scale of operational tasks involved in countering terrorism and threats from foreign states is practically comparable," which "in itself testifies to the colossal changes that have occurred in recent years."

McCallum called Russia the "aggressor number one" for Great Britain, noting that Moscow is actively using hybrid warfare methods. In total, in his speech published on the MI5 website, Russia is mentioned six times, Iran eight times, China four times, and Ukraine twice.

At the same time, McCallum touched on the topic of the use of artificial intelligence for malicious purposes 11 times, which, according to him, poses a "national security risk." "We have identified terrorists who tried to use artificial intelligence to improve their methods of reconnaissance and carrying out attacks. The use of drones employing AI adds a new dimension to this threat," the head of the agency said.

Source: TASS