Spycatchers on alert

MINISTERS have ordered a security crackdown on Russia with direct action against Vladimir Putin’s spies in Britain and the bomber pilots buzzing UK airspace.

Senior security sources say there has been a “policy change” towards Russian intelligence officers operating in the UK. MI5 bosses have told the counter-espionage branch of the security service to step up surveillance against Kremlin-backed agents on the streets of London.

Intelligence chiefs are also recruiting Russian speakers to MI5, MI6 and GCHQ as security chiefs warn that a new Cold War is under way. One advert calls for recruits to “listen to Russian-language telephone calls” to combat “potential threats to national security, including terrorism and espionage”.

PM orders MI5 to crack down on Putin’s spies