The head of MI6 has warned that Britain is already on front line against Russia and the country should brace itself for Vladimir Putin’s “export of chaos”.
On her debut speech on Monday, Blaise Metreweli said the “front line is everywhere” as Russia uses hybrid warfare tactics, including cyberattacks and sabotage.
The speech, delivered from MI6 headquarters in central London, addressed the threat posed by Russia, which Ms Metreweli described as “aggressive, expansionist and revisionist”.
She cautioned that Britain is heading into a volatile new era, driven by Russia and other hostile powers reshaping how conflicts are fought.
Ms Metreweli cautioned that Britain is heading into a volatile new era
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She said: “Putin should be in no doubt, our support is enduring. The pressure we apply on Ukraine’s behalf will be sustained.
“The export of chaos is a feature not a bug in the Russian approach to international engagement – and we should be ready for this to continue until Putin is forced to change his calculus.”
Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, also delivered a speech urging the nation to strengthen Britain’s resilience amid rising threats and uncertainty.
He warned that there is an increased risk of Vladimir Putin invading a Nato country and cautioned that “the price of peace is increasing”.
Sir Richard Knighton urged the nation to strengthen Britain’s resilience amid rising threats and uncertainty
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He said: “The war in Ukraine shows [that] Putin’s willingness to target neighbouring states, including their civilian populations, potentially with such novel and destructive weapons, threatens the whole of Nato, including the UK.”
Ms Metreweli is the youngest MI6 chief in the organisation’s history and is the first woman to be handed the role.
She previously served as the intelligence agency’s director-general of technology and innovation.
The MI6 head also underlined the value of “shared humanity” and “our ability to listen”.
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Ms Metreweli is the youngest MI6 chief in the organisation’s history
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She noted that the “defining challenge of the 21st century is not simply who wields the most powerful technologies, but who guides them with the greatest wisdom.
“Our security, our prosperity, and our humanity depend on it.”
Sir Richard pushed for a “whole of society approach” to strengthen “national resilience” in his first annual speech at the Royal United Services Institute.
He said: “The situation is more dangerous than I have known during my career and the response requires more than simply strengthening our armed forces.
“A new era for defence doesn’t just mean our military and government stepping up – as we are – it means our whole nation stepping up.
“The Russian leadership has made clear that it wishes to challenge, limit, divide and ultimately destroy Nato.”
The warnings come as the Trump administration attempts to secure a peace deal to bring Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to an end by Christmas.
Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner touched down in Berlin on Sunday for discussions with Volodymyr Zelensky and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz regarding the latest peace proposals.