Evidence in security report claims Russia used British politicians to advance interests in U.K.
The United States isn't the only country keeping an eye on potential Russian election interference.
The Guardian on Monday published evidence provided by British financier and political activist Bill Browder to Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee that claims Moscow utilized British nationals — including politicians from both the Conservative and Labour Parties — to advance Russia's interests in the United Kingdom. The evidence also points to former intelligence officers, diplomats, and leading public relation formats.
Some of these people, Browder said, worked "unwittingly for Russian state interests," while others "had reason to know exactly what they were doing and for whom," though there is no suggestion anyone actually broke any laws either way.
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Still, Browder alleges Moscow used British intermediaries in some capacity to to obscure its "entangled" state and criminal interests like money-laundering, "enhance Russian propaganda and disinformation," and "go after" some of Russian President Vladimir Putin's more outspoken enemies. Browder said the British government seems to be aware of Russian security service members working with diplomatic cover in the U.K., but they don't have as tight a grasp on the country's "informal espionage experts."
The ISC's report stemming from a two-year investigation is mired in a long process before it can be released. Downing Street has downplayed its contents, but others who have read it reportedly disagree. Read more at The Guardian.
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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
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