The Russian Embassy in the UK has furiously hit back after the head of MI6 warned of “aggressive activity” and sabotage operations coming from Vladimir Putin’s country. Blaise Metreweli, chief of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), yesterday accused Moscow of trying to “bully, fearmonger, and manipulate” the West amid the protracted war with Ukraine. 

She also cited “aggressive activity” in British seas, state-sponsored arson, and sabotage, propaganda, and influence operations. But the Russian Embassy in the UK has now responded, accusing Ms Metreweli of “portraying Russia as an enemy of the UK and Europe” and calling for an end to this narrative.

It said: “We consider it necessary to recall several obvious facts. Russia has no plans, intentions, or reasons to engage in armed conflict with the United Kingdom, as the local media keeps frightening its audience with.

“All slander of the ‘hybrid threats’ type is also completely unfounded.”

In her first big speech since being appointed head of MI6 in June, Ms Metreweli warned that the UK is operating in a “space between peace and war”, with Russia “testing us in the grey zone” as the war continues.

She said: “Putin should be in no doubt, our support is enduring. The pressure we apply on Ukraine’s behalf will be sustained.

“Alongside the grinding war, Russia is testing us in the grey zone with tactics that are just below the threshold of war.”

She pointed to Russian cyber attacks on critical infrastructure and drones sent over airports as emerging threats to security.

Drones have been spotted in European airspace in recent months, including during Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Dublin earlier this month.

Ms Metreweli added: “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.

“Mastery of technology will infuse everything we do. Not just in our labs, but in the field, in our tradecraft, and even more importantly, in the mindset of every officer.

“We will become as comfortable with lines of code as we are with human sources, as fluent in Python as we are in multiple other languages.”