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The Russia Report is finally out — I’ll tweet key lines.
• The UK is one of Russia’s top intelligence targets, yet the UK government has “actively avoided looking for evidence of Russian interference” which the committee brands “astonishing”. https://www.scribd.com/document/469886680/Russia-Report
• The UK is one of Russia’s top intelligence targets, yet the UK government has “actively avoided looking for evidence of Russian interference” which the committee brands “astonishing”. https://www.scribd.com/document/469886680/Russia-Report
• London was allowed to become a 'laundromat' for illicit finance. The arrival of Russian money has resulted in a growth of “enablers” including lawyers, accountants and estate agents who wittingly or unwittingly became 'de facto agents' of Russian state.
• Nobody in government is protecting the UK from Russian interference.
“The outrage isn’t that there is interference, the outrage is that nobody wanted to find out whether there was interference.”
“The outrage isn’t that there is interference, the outrage is that nobody wanted to find out whether there was interference.”
• The mechanics of the UK's paper-based voting system makes direct interference difficult, so Russia has instead sought to influence voters *before* they cast their vote through the likes of state-owned media, bots and trolls, and leaks and hacks.
"The UK welcomed Russian money, and few questions if any were asked about the provenance of this considerable wealth." Highlighted as particular issues:
• The UK's investment visa scheme
• Housing market
• Judicial system
• PR firms etc offering "reputation laundering"
• The UK's investment visa scheme
• Housing market
• Judicial system
• PR firms etc offering "reputation laundering"
"Russian influence in the UK is the new normal. There are a lot of Russians with very close links to Putin who are well integrated into the UK business and social scene, and accepted because of their wealth."
Committee calls on the government to make legislative changes.
Committee calls on the government to make legislative changes.
• Report highlights an example of a private security industry developed in the UK to "service the needs of the Russian elite" in which British firms "protect the oligarchs and their families, seek kompromat on competitors & help launder money through offshore shell companies."
• Report raises the important issue of Russians at risk in UK and questions whether the UK intelligence services has picture of which Russians are at risk in the UK.
• Salisbury attack shows that it's not only people "critical of Putin who are at risk here in the UK."
• Salisbury attack shows that it's not only people "critical of Putin who are at risk here in the UK."
• Report cites a 2017 BuzzFeed investigation into 14 suspicious deaths in Britain (which I was part of) that warned the UK authorities weren't fully investigating possible Russian hits. The report evidence is redacted (!) but you can read the series here https://www.buzzfeed.com/heidiblake/poison-in-the-system?utm_term=.qj09P41jm#.bx0arEWRk
Anyway, I have to get back to other work so here's the full, excellent summary of the Russia report's key findings by @MarkLandler + @_StephenCastle . https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/21/world/europe/uk-russia-report.html
