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MI6’s ex-chief has revealed he was targeted by Putin’s spies after the Foreign Office warned a Russian group eavesdropped on top UK politicians and officials.
Former head of the British Secret Intelligence Service, Sir Richard Dearlove, has confirmed he was one of the figures in Vlad’s radar.
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PAIt comes as the UK exposed the attempted Russian cyber interference in politics and democratic processes.
Ministers revealed sinister hackers called Star Blizzard were behind “sustained” attempts to interfere in UK political processes over eight years.
The group is almost certainly subordinate to Putin’s spy agency the FSB, according to an assessment by the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre.
While some attacks resulted in documents being leaked, attempts to interfere with UK politics and democracy have not been successful.
MPs, Lords, civil servants, journalists, thinktanks and NGOs have been those targeted in attempts to “meddle in British politics”, Foreign Office minister Leo Docherty said.
It is understood the Foreign Office has since summoned the Russian ambassador to be told “these actions have consequences”, with the UK government later adding it has levelled “appropriate sanctions”.
Mr Docherty claimed private conversations of high-profile politicians and civil servants were compromised by Russia‘s principal security service during “sustained” attempts to interfere in UK politics.
The Foreign Office minister added the group had conducted an exercise known as spear-phishing to steal information from a “significant” number of parliamentarians from multiple political parties.
MPs were told sanctions would be imposed on two members of Star Blizzard, including one who is understood to be an FSB intelligence officer.
UK deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden said Russia was “behind sustained hostile cyber operations aimed at interfering in parts of the UK democratic processes”.
The Foreign Office minister also confirmed it was Russia’s Star Blizzard that hacked the US-UK trade documents which made their way into Jeremy Corbyn‘s hands for his debate performance in the 2019 election.
“We want to be as open as we can be with the House and the British public,” Mr Docherty said.
“Our commitment to transparency stands in sharp contrast to the efforts of the KGB successors to exert influence from the shadows.”
He added: “Centre 18, a unit within Russia‘s FSB, has been involved in a range of cyber espionage operations targeting the United Kingdom.
“Secondly, that Star Blizzard, a cyber group the National Cyber Security Centre assesses is almost certainly subordinate to centre 18 is responsible for a range of malign activities targeting British parliamentarians from multiple parties.
“Thirdly, using these means the group have selectively leaked and amplified the release of sensitive information in service of Russia’s goals of confrontation.”
An official has also told Sky News that “Russia is targeting the UK’s democratic process.”
The source said the group “acquires information for the Russian state” and “supports FSB Centre 18”.
“This information is used to undermine the West in various ways,” the insider added.
“This group has acquired a vast amount of data.”
“It is very targeted – the number [of known hacks] is probably in the hundreds not thousands,” the official continued.
“We are coming towards an election year. We want to get this [hack and leak threat] more into the bloodstream – so people are more aware.”
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