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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MI6 & CIA: Come spy with us

Moore's July 2023 speech in Prague comes several months after the CIA also pitched potential Russian assets.

“Are you a military officer? Do you work in intelligence, diplomacy, science, high technology or deal with people who do?” a CIA social media video asks. “Do you have information about the economy or the top leadership of the Russian Federation? Get in touch with us.” 

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AI and spies‍

While spy agencies use Artificial intelligence (AI) as part of their arsenal, MI6’s Richard Moore emphasized the importance of the ‘human factor’ - or HUMINT - in espionage, as case officers running foreign spies may uncover secrets that might elude AI algorithms. He also expressed concerns about adversaries using AI for reckless and dangerous purposes, particularly in spreading propaganda and disinformation. 

Moore, who rarely addresses the public and media, also used his appearance to highlight the rising power of China and he called out Iran for fueling the war in Ukraine by supplying Russia with drones and other weapons - a policy that Moore said “provoked internal quarrels at the highest level of the regime in Tehran”.