The UK has entered a “new period of radical uncertainty”, and the risk of dangerous miscalculations against the backdrop of Russian activity has become the greatest in recent years.
This is stated in the abstract of the speech of the director of the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) Anne Kist-Butler, the BBC reports.
She plans to outline in her speech the threats the United Kingdom faces and the measures she believes are necessary to overcome them.
The report notes that Russia poses a threat to critical infrastructure, democratic processes, supply chains, and public trust.
According to the official, GCHQ is working tirelessly to repel cyberattacks and counter what she called “brazen sabotage and assassination attempts.”
“Given such aggression and chaos, the Government Communications Center is working tirelessly with intelligence and defense partners to mitigate the threat,” the report says.
The BBC notes that Britain accuses Russia of poisoning former KGB and FSB officer Alexander Litvinenko with radioactive polonium, and of poisoning former Russian military intelligence officer Sergei Skripal with Novichok. After Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moscow has been accused of waging a “hybrid war” against Western countries.
According to the speech's theses, Kist-Butler advocates continued support for Ukraine.
“While we remain steadfast in our support for Ukraine, Putin is moving back on the battlefield,” the speech said.
The GCHQ director also mentions China, which is now a scientific and technological superpower with sophisticated capabilities “across all its intelligence, cyber and military departments.”
Kist-Butler also calls for collaboration with the technology industry, academia, and the public to stay abreast of advances in cybersecurity.
The address is to be delivered from Bletchley Park – the former site of the Wartime Communications Centre.
Government Communications Headquarters is the largest of the three British intelligence agencies. The others are the Security Service (MI5) and the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). The center focuses on cybersecurity and electronic intelligence.