MI6 Spymaster 'C' Makes Unusual Pitch for Russians to Spy for the West

Following the CIA's lead, British Secret Intelligence Service Chief Richard Moore has made a pitch for Russians disheartened by the violence in Ukraine to spy for the West.

MI6’s spymaster - otherwise known as ‘C’ - said Russians wrestling with ‘tugs of conscience’ will be welcomed on board by the century-old British service that has been spying in the shadows since 1909: “Join hands with us - our door is always open.”

Britain has recruited a number of Russian spies since the Cold War years including KGB Colonel Oleg Antonovich Gordievsky who was dramatically smuggled out of Moscow in the trunk of a British diplomatic car. Not all recruits live happily ever after, however.
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Former Russian intelligence officer and British double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter were attacked with a Novichok nerve agent in Salisbury, England in 2018, hospitalized, and then relocated. Former FSB officer Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned by polonium at a London hotel and on his deathbed blamed Moscow.

Recruiting spies in the digital world‍

There’s been a marked shift in recruiting tactics since the Cold War days when intelligence officers met spies in cafés and clubs. In today's digital world, spy agencies can use avatars and deepfakes to meet agents on the dark web, former case officer Peter Warmka told SPYSCAPE.

A CIA recruitment video, posted on social media in May 2023, explained how disgruntled Russians can also contact the CIA online via Tor, short for The Onion Router.

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