Russia behind 'staggeringly reckless' sabotage in Europe, UK spy chief says

Russia is waging a "staggeringly reckless campaign" of sabotage in Europe while also stepping up its nuclear saber-rattling to scare other countries off from backing Ukraine, Britain's foreign spy chief said on Friday.

Richard Moore, the head of Britain's Secret Intelligence Service known as MI6, said in a speech in Paris on Friday that were Putin to succeed in reducing Ukraine to a vassal state, he would not stop there.

"Our security - British, French, European and transatlantic- will be jeopardized," he said.

"We have recently uncovered a staggeringly reckless campaign of Russian sabotage in Europe, even as Putin and his acolytes resort to nuclear saber-rattling to sow fear about the consequences of aiding Ukraine".

He said the cost of supporting Ukraine was well known, but added: "The cost of not doing so would be infinitely higher. If Putin succeeds China would weigh the implications, North Korea would be emboldened and Iran would become still more dangerous."

Moore's speech seemed aimed at rallying wavering European allies and any sceptics in the incoming U.S. administration of Donald Trump about the importance of Ukraine.

He joins other western intelligence chiefs in warning about increasing Russian sabotage actions.

NATO and Western intelligence services have said that Russia is behind a growing number of hostile activities across the Euro-Atlantic area, ranging from repeated cyber attacks to Moscow-linked arson - all of which Russia denies.

The UK's domestic spy chief said last month that Russia's GRU military intelligence service was seeking to cause "mayhem" across Britain and Europe.

And sources familiar with U.S. intelligence told Reuters this week that Russia was likely to expand its campaign of sabotage against European targets to increase pressure on the West over its support for Kyiv.

Moore added that cooperation between Britain and the United States had made its societies safer, and that that would continue.

"I worked successfully with the first Trump administration to advance our shared security and look forward to doing so again," he said.