Russia 'deliberately' channelling migrants towards Europe in bid to 'make trouble', says former MI6 chief
Sir Richard Dearlove said there was "no question" that Russia had been channeling non-EU migrants towards European shores for years in a bid to create instability
Russia is deliberately encouraging the small boats crisis in a bid to "destabilise" and "make trouble" in Europe, the former head of MI6 has told LBC.
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One-time head of Britain's secret service, Sir Richard Dearlove, said there was "no question" that Russia as well as China had been channeling non-EU migrants towards European shores in a bid to "make trouble".
"There is a deliberate policy to destabilise, to make trouble, to exploit our vulnerabilities," he told Tom Swarbrick at Drive.
Sir Richard continued that many migrants had come through Belarus, which shares a border with Russia and is a close ally of the Kremlin.
He added: "Both the Russians and the Chinese have departments that are well-practiced to do precisely that.
"They're taking account of our tolerance, our liberality, and our legal system to make difficulties in any way they can.
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Sir Richard went on to predict that a Russian military attack against Britain could be akin to a "terrorist incident" such as flying a drone trying to hit a military site or an arson attack.
It comes amid a ramping up in recent weeks by Russia of its threats against Britain after Prime Minister Andy Burnham handed Ukraine blueprints for British-made Storm Shadow missiles.
Asked recently by a reporter if British military industrial facilities located on British territory could become military targets, Putin responded with a smirk that it was a “military secret”.
Tensions have continued to ramp up even further in recent days after a drone attack on Leipzig Airport in Germany was blamed on the Kremlin.
A No 10 spokeswoman described the attack as an attempt to undermine the "united resolve" of the NATO alliance.
Last week, former British Army intelligence officer Colonel Philip Ingram told Henry Riley that Britain was already being attacked by Russia "on a daily basis".
He pointed to a series of incidents across Britain and Europe, including warehouses containing supplies destined for Ukraine being targeted, explosive devices being placed in logistics networks, suspicious drones around military facilities and Russian-linked cyber attacks.
“We've seen cyber attacks from the Russians against targets in the UK, and we have seen the Russians actively targeting our undersea cables,” he said.
“We are being attacked on a daily basis.”