Russia ‘relentlessly targeting’ UK infrastructure and democracy, warns British spy chief

According to the Associated Press, Keast-Butler will accuse Moscow of targeting “critical infrastructure, democratic processes, supply chains and public trust”, while also warning that the pace of technological change, especially in artificial intelligence, is rapidly reshaping the global security landscape.

Rising concern over cyber threats in Europe

Her remarks come as European governments have increasingly raised alarms over cyberattacks and covert operations allegedly linked to Russia. In recent months, authorities in countries including Sweden, Poland, Denmark and Norway have reported incidents in which hackers targeted infrastructure such as energy systems, dams and digital networks.

Keast-Butler is expected to describe the current threat environment as one of “radical uncertainty”, with the risk of miscalculation leading to wider instability across the region, The Guardian reported. She is also expected to underline GCHQ’s efforts to counter cyber espionage, technology theft and hostile state-backed digital interference.

Last month, Richard Horne, head of the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre, similarly warned that hostile states, including Russia, China and Iran, are behind some of the most serious cyberattacks facing Britain, with officials responding to multiple major incidents each week.

AI and geopolitics reshape the security landscape

Keast-Butler is also expected to highlight the strategic challenge posed by rapid advances in artificial intelligence, saying emerging technologies are transforming the security environment faster than governments can adapt.

She is likely to point to China’s expanding scientific and technological capabilities as another major concern, arguing that Britain and its allies face a narrowing window to stay ahead in cyber defence and intelligence.

The speech is being delivered at Bletchley Park, where British codebreakers helped crack Nazi Germany’s Enigma code during World War II. The location is seen as symbolic, linking Britain’s wartime intelligence legacy with the modern digital battleground of cyber warfare.