MI6 chief urges Russians 'appalled' by war to 'join hands with us'

Britain's spy chief made rare comments on Wednesday (July 19) on the ongoing Ukraine war and Russian President Vladimir Putin in a speech and interview in the Czech capital Prague.

MI6 head Richard Moore claimed that Russians are "appalled" by their country's invasion and even urged them to "join hands" with the West.

He also made an unusual public appeal for new agents as he used the crushing of the 1968 Prague Spring movement by Soviet-led armies as a call for Russian recruits.

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Moore said, "There are many Russians today who are silently appalled by the sight of their armed forces pulverising Ukrainian cities, expelling innocent families from their homes and kidnapping thousands of children."

"As they witness the venality, infighting and sheer callous incompetence of their leaders... many Russians are wrestling with the same dilemmas and the same tugs of conscience as their predecessors did in 1968," he said.

"I invite them to do what others have already done these past 18 months and join hands with us. Our door is always open," he added.

While elaborating his unusual call of recruits, Moore said that the British Foreign Intelligence Service would handle any such moves "with discretion and professionalism."

"Their secrets will always be safe with us" and that "our loyalty to our agents is lifelong."

During a question-and-answer session hosted by the Politico website following his speech, Moore insisted protecting such assets is "sacred" as he insinuated that the spy service was already successfully harnessing Russian agents.

"If we could not do that, we would go out of business, and I can assure you we are very much in business," he said.

Moore on Putin and Wagner

A report by CNN mentioned in detail how the MI6 head, in a way, confirmed that during the failed coup attempt of June 24, the leader of the private military organisation Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, did strike a deal with Putin to cease his assault on Moscow.

Moore said, "If you look at Putin's behaviours on that day. Prigozhin started off I think, as a traitor at breakfast. He had been pardoned by supper and then a few days later, he was invited for tea. So, there are some things and even the chief of MI6 finds that a little bit difficult to try and interpret, in terms of who's in and who's out."

"He [Putin] really didn't fight back against Prigozhin. He cut a deal to save his skin, using the good offices of the leader of Belarus.

"So even I can't see inside Putin's head, He has to have realised, I am sure that something that is deeply rotten in the state of Denmark - to quote Hamlet - and he had to cut this deal," he added.

Moore also said he was positive about Ukraine will come victorious and be able to regain territory taken by Russia since it launched its invasion in February last year.

(With inputs from agencies)

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