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Search resuls for: "British intel"


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Europe booted over 400 Russian officials suspected of being spies this year, the MI5 chief said. Ken McCallum said this gave a "most significant strategic blow" to Russia's intelligence agencies. "Alongside the wave of expulsions, the other part of that template is staying the course and preventing Russian intelligence restocking," McCallum said. "In the UK's case, since our removal of 23 Russian spies posing as diplomats, we have refused on national security grounds over 100 Russian diplomatic visa applications." Russian spies and operatives have been suspected of carrying out attacks like bombings, poisonings, sabotage, and assassination attempts for years, and Europe has tried to combat Moscow's increasingly hostile activities in other countries.
Summary UK spy chief says Russian aggression will last yearsMore than 400 Russian spies expelled from Europe, he saysChina playing 'long game' to influence future UK assetsLONDON, Nov 16 (Reuters) - The expulsion of more than 400 suspected Russian spies from across Europe this year has struck the "most significant strategic blow" against Moscow in recent history and taken Vladimir Putin by surprise, Britain's domestic spy chief said. McCallum said Britain had refused more than 100 Russian diplomatic visa applications on national security grounds since then. "The serious point is that the UK must be ready for Russian aggression for years to come," he said. The spy chief also said Chinese authorities were monitoring and intimidating the Chinese diaspora, with action ranging from forcible repatriation to assault. "To intimidate and harass UK nationals or those who have made the UK their home cannot be tolerated," McCallum said.
Russian forces don't like waging their war against Ukraine at night, said a Ukrainian commander. The commander said on a podcast that Ukrainian troops need gear to fight in the dark. Gen. Viktor Khorenko said his troops need gear while appearing on an episode of the "War on the Rocks" podcast published on Monday. But Khorenko said that Ukrainian troops could use advanced technology like night vision devices from the West to increase their night fighting capabilities. "Night vision capability is a precious commodity, further exacerbating the unwillingness to fight at night," British intelligence noted.
Hundreds of drafted Russians are already dead in Ukraine, Russian media reported. Earlier reports have highlighted the lack of training and equipment given to Russian soldiers. Hundreds of recently mobilized Russian soldiers have died on the front line in Ukraine's Luhansk region, according to Russian news outlets, following three days of shelling by the Ukrainian army. They were given four grenades, they dug the ground with their hands," Ekaterina Brazhnikova, the sister of a different mobilized soldier, told the news outlet. Earlier reports have highlighted the seemingly lack of training and equipment for Russian soldiers.
Russia sent newly mobilized reservist troops to Ukraine with "barely usable" rifles, UK intel says. Britain's defense ministry said some of these soldiers are using guns designed in 1959. Citing open source imagery, however, Britain's defense ministry said that mobilized reservists who did show up with rifles were often issued with AKM assault rifles. Britain's defense ministry said many of the AKM rifles given to Russian reservists are "likely in barely usable condition following poor storage." Beyond the newly mobilized reservists, Russian forces — like conscripts — have had to use decades-old rifles that exited production long ago.
Video apparently shows Russian troops in Ukraine griping about not having enough training or food. an apparent Russian soldier griped in the video posted to Facebook this week by Ukrainian journalist Yurii Butusov. "We're on the fucking front lines," the man said in the two-minute video, which shows several soldiers huddled around each other in the thick of the woods. We only got our fucking pants," said the man, who added, "Long live the fucking Russian army!" "But the video shows that Russia is not able to carry out mobilization properly," Butusov said.
"There is almost certainly a worsening shortage of capable Russian junior officers to organize" drafted reservists, UK intel said. The UK's Ministry of Defense added, "Poor lower-level leadership is likely worsening the low morale." "Their replacements have so far done little to improve Russia's battlefield performance," the UK's Ministry of Defense said. The UK intelligence group explained that the "lack of command continuity" will be even more disruptive to Russia compared to a Western military because Russia's commanders personally plan troop movements instead of coordinating across the staff. "Poor lower-level leadership is likely worsening the low morale and poor unit cohesion in many parts of the Russian force," said the UK's Ministry of Defense.
Germany's seeming reluctance to give heavy weapons to Ukraine has drawn criticism in Kyiv and Berlin. Despite Berlin promising to supply a variety of arms to help Ukraine repel Russia, many of those weapons still have not arrived. "Disappointing signals from Germany while Ukraine needs Leopards and Marders now — to liberate people and save them from genocide," Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter in mid-September. "Not a single rational argument on why these weapons cannot be supplied, only abstract fears and excuses. Many Germans would rather not think about the last time German tanks clanked through Ukraine.
Oct 17 (Reuters) - Logistical issues faced by Russian forces in southern Ukraine have become more acute following damage to a key bridge to Crimea on Oct. 8, a British intelligence update said on Monday. "With the Russian presence in Kherson strained, and the supply routes through Crimea degraded, the ground line of communication through Zaporizhzhia Oblast is becoming more important to the sustainability of Russia’s occupation," the UK Ministry of Defence tweeted in a regular bulletin. Russian forces in southern Ukraine are likely increasing logistical supply flow via Mariupol in an attempt to compensate for the reduced capacity of the bridge, the update said. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Jyoti Narayan in Bengaluru; Editing by Tom HogueOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
German Defense Secretary Christine Lambrecht said Monday that her country would send four medium-range air defense systems to Ukraine, the first to be delivered in the next few days. “The renewed rocket fire on Kyiv and the many other cities makes it clear how important it is to deliver air defense systems to Ukraine quickly,” she said in a statement. Analysts said that if Ukraine had that help sooner, it could have saved lives and protected critical infrastructure and public services. We warn and hope that Washington and other Western capitals are aware of the danger of uncontrolled escalation,” he said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov underlined this point in his daily press briefing, adding that Western supplies of advanced air defense systems would not change Russia’s goals and would only extend the conflict.
Oct 10 (Reuters) - Russian troops are coming closer to the strategically important eastern town of Bakhmut, having advanced up to 2 km (1.24 miles)towards the town over the last week, a British intelligence update said on Monday. "Russia continues to give high priority to its own offensive operations in the central Donbas sector, especially near the town of Bakhmut," the UK Ministry of Defence tweeted in a regular bulletin. In a video address on Saturday, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Ukrainian troops were involved in very tough fighting near Bakhmut. Bakhmut sits on a main road leading to the cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, both situated in the industrial Donbas region, which Moscow has yet to fully capture. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Akriti Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Kim CoghillOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Protests have sparked across Russia after Putin announced partial military mobilization. Sign up for our newsletter to receive our top stories based on your reading preferences — delivered daily to your inbox. Police officers detain a person in Moscow on September 21, 2022, following calls to protest against partial mobilization announced by President Vladimir Putin. Photo by ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty ImagesPolice officers detain a person in Moscow on September 21, 2022, following calls to protest against partial mobilization announced by President Vladimir Putin. After his televised address that day, Russian citizens in dozens of cities began to protest, with scores getting arrested.
A senior Ukrainian official mocked Russia after Putin announced partial military mobilization. British intelligence said recently that expedited training courses at Russian military academies also highlight the Russian military's "manpower challenge." A vote in favor would set the stage for Russia to annex captured Ukrainian territory. "From my perspective, this is simply an information operation that's meant to distract from the difficult state that the Russian military currently finds itself in right now," Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. The referendums are slated to take place after weeks of Ukrainian advances and battlefield success along the war's northeastern and southern fronts.
Russian troops fleeing Ukraine's counteroffensive abandoned "high-value" weaponry, the UK said. Britain's defense ministry said Russian troops left behind equipment with "essential" capabilities. There, the ongoing fast-paced offensive has sent Russian troops scrambling from their positions, where they have left behind a mountain of ammunition and weaponry, including their rifles. Ukraine's military said last week that it captured a Zoopark-1М radar system designed to detect enemy artillery activity for target acquisition "as a trophy." A damaged Russian military vehicle is seen after Russian Forces withdrawal as Russia-Ukraine war continues in Izium, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine on September 14, 2022.
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