GRU and Wagner Group's dark nexus: Funding far‑right terror in the West
12 May 2024 16:33
The British warn that agents of the Russian military intelligence GRU are recruiting terrorists to carry out attacks on NATO countries. The United Kingdom and other Western states are likely to experience the problematic activity of far-right extremists funded by Moscow.
The latest findings from British intelligence were reported on Sunday by "The Sunday Telegraph". The newspaper cited intelligence sources and information from the National Security News portal.
Not only GRU agents but also former members of the mercenary Wagner Group are believed to be involved in recruiting potential perpetrators of terrorist attacks. According to intelligence from Britain, in the past six months, individuals recruited in such efforts have attempted acts of political violence in Western European countries and the USA.
An example of an agent who was meant to cause chaos is the Russian military attaché in Great Britain, Colonel Maksim Yelovik. London expelled him a few days ago due to suspicions of espionage.
Similar incidents, when right-wing terrorists hired by the Kremlin organized provocations or obtained strategic information, have also occurred in other Alliance countries. Attacks could have taken place in the USA and did occur in Germany.
Intelligence agencies are now actively warning Western governments that the threat is genuine. Pro-Russian, pro-Putin envoys are expected to increase their activities.
"The Sunday Telegraph" quotes Thomas Haldenwang, head of the German counterintelligence BfV. At a security conference in April, he warned about plans by Russian saboteurs that carry a "high potential for damage." - "We assess the risk of state-controlled acts of sabotage to be significantly increased".
After the chemical attack in Salisbury in 2018, which targeted the former Russian services officer Sergei Skripal, the United Kingdom expelled over 20 Russian spies. It is likely, therefore, that the Kremlin will use a tactic similar to that employed by Iran, leveraging local organized criminal groups to carry out commissioned acts of terror or political violence within a country.
