Written question asked by Lord West of Spithead (Labour) on Friday, 14 December 2018, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 2 January 2019. It was answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Conservative) on Monday, 31 December 2018 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Russia: Espionage

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to counter Russian efforts to confront and destabilise the UK, as described in the speech on fourth generation espionage by Alex Younger, Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service, on 3 December.

Answer: As the Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service stated in his speech on 3 December, we are drawing together all our national capabilities to detect, deter and counter hybrid attacks and other threats to the United Kingdom. Together with our allies, in response to the attack in Salisbury, we coordinated the largest ever collective expulsion of Russian intelligence officers, fundamentally degrading Russian intelligence capability for years to come. We are investing £1.9 billion into our National Cyber Security Strategy and with our international partners have shone a light on the reckless and irresponsible cyber activities of the Russian military intelligence service, the GRU. We are a leading voice within the EU on delivering sanctions in respect of Russia's actions in Ukraine and we work closely with our NATO allies to deliver effective deterrence and reassurance measures. We will continue to work closely with our international allies to protect the UK and our interests from Russia-based threats.

Secondary information