Russia claims its spy chief held ‘lengthy’ phone call with new head of MI6
New MI6 boss had ‘lengthy phone call’ with Moscow spy chief, Russia claims
- Russia's foreign intelligence director, Sergey Naryshkin, claimed he had a "lengthy" phone call with the new MI6 chief, Blaise Metreweli, two months after she took office in October.
- Mr Naryshkin stated that Russian and British intelligence officers officially work in each other's capitals, but provided no further details about the alleged conversation.
- The claim emerged shortly after Ms Metreweli, the first female MI6 chief, publicly warned of the growing threat posed by an "aggressive, expansionist and revisionist" Russia.
- Military analyst Michael Clarke suggested Moscow's disclosure aims to imply British appeal due to ongoing negotiations in Washington, adding that the UK would never publicly admit such a sensitive call.
- The alleged call coincides with critical talks in Brussels where European leaders approved a €90bn deal to fund Ukraine's war effort, though not from frozen Russian assets.