Putin 'bitten off more than he can chew', says MI6 chief
Photo: MI6 chief Richard Moore (Getty Images)
Russian president Vladimir Putin expected an easy victory, but overestimated his strength. Ukraine has proven that it can resist Russian aggression, Reuters reports, citing MI6 chief Richard Moore.
Moore said he sees “no evidence” of Vladimir Putin's willingness to engage in peace talks, except for Ukraine's surrender.
Speaking in Istanbul, announcing plans to use the darknet to recruit informants and obtain secret information from agents in Russia and around the world, Moore noted that Putin is only playing for time by promising progress in the negotiations.
According to him, Putin seeks to impose his imperial will by all means possible.
Putin 'bitten off more than he can chew'
"Bluntly, Putin has bitten off more than he can chew. He thought he was going to win an easy victory. But he – and many others – underestimated the Ukrainians," Moore said.
According to him, Putin wanted to convince the world that Russia's victory was inevitable. "But he lies. He lies to the world. He lies to his people. Perhaps he even lies to himself,” he stressed.
Russia's future is under threat
Moore added that Putin is “mortgaging his country’s future for his own personal legacy and a distorted version of history.” According to him, the war is only accelerating this decline.
Richard Moore will step down as head of British intelligence at the end of the month. His speech was one of his last in this position.
As a reminder, British intelligence agency MI6 is launching its own specialized portal, Silent Courier, on the darknet to recruit new agents online, particularly from Russia.
Richard Moore, head of the British Secret Intelligence Service, known as MI6, said that if Vladimir Putin succeeds in achieving victory and turning Ukraine into a vassal state, he will not stop there.
