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UK intelligence launching dark web portal for potential spies in Russia, elsewhere

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UK intelligence launching dark web portal for potential spies in Russia, elsewhere
The headquarters of the U.K.'s Secret Intelligence Service, known as MI6, on the River Thames in London, U.K., on July 3, 2025. (Jose Sarmento Matos/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The U.K. intelligence agency announced on Sept. 19 that it is launching a dark web portal to reach potential spies in Russia and other rival countries.

The so-called Silent Courier will allow informants to share sensitive information with the U.K.'s Secret Intelligence Service, also known as MI6.

Richard Moore, the outgoing MI6 chief, unveiled the system during a speech in Istanbul on Sept. 19, stressing it is designed primarily for potential agents in Russia.

The British intelligence agency said it is using the dark web for the first time to minimize risks for the spies. MI6 shared instructions on how to use the platform on YouTube in several languages, including Russian.

Western intelligence services have been raising alarm over surging Russian espionage and sabotage activities across Europe since the outbreak of the full-scale war in Ukraine. Earlier this week, three people were detained in the U.K. on suspicion of spying for Moscow.

Lithuania, the U.K.'s NATO ally, also recently accused Russia's military intelligence of orchestrating deliveries of explosive parcels in Europe last year, one of which detonated in a warehouse in Birmingham on July 22, 2024.

During his speech, Moore warned that he sees "no evidence" that Russian President Vladimir Putin is interested in negotiated peace in Ukraine except for full capitulation.

The statement comes as U.S. President Donald Trump, whose months-long push to broker peace in Ukraine yielded little result, voiced his frustration with Putin's refusal to end the war.

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Martin Fornusek

Senior News Editor

Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.

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