MI6 named Europe's most powerful secret service, with a 'penchant for dirty tricks'

Britain's foreign intelligence service, MI6, has been designated the most powerful in Europe, surpassing the services of France and the Netherlands, according to an assessment by domain experts.

The British external intelligence service scored 251 points in the study. It was recognized for its expertise in recruiting high-level informants and infiltrating the ruling elites of Russia, China, Iran, and Turkey. The evaluation was conducted by 60 professionals from 25 countries.

MI6 is followed by France's General Directorate for External Security (DGSE) with 169 points, appreciated for its operational capacity and global coverage. The Netherlands, Ukraine, and Germany complete the top five positions in the ranking, while Slovakia's intelligence service was evaluated as the weakest.

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The British have the capacity to play for the long term, investing in sources over a ten-year horizon, similar to the Russians. And they have a penchant for dirty tricks.

The assessment was carried out by the French magazine L'Express, which consulted intelligence service members from several states to evaluate their counterparts in Western allied countries. Blaise Metreweli, the first woman to lead MI6, recently gave her first public speech in London after taking over from Sir Richard Moore last year.

Great Britain was the first country to warn Ukraine about the likelihood of the Russian invasion launched in February 2022 and remains one of Kyiv's most important allies. Ralph Goff, former head of CIA operations for Europe and Eurasia, told L'Express that "the British are leading the Ukrainian file." "We are immediately behind them," he added. A former DGSE director stated: "The British have the capacity to play for the long term, investing in sources over a ten-year horizon, similar to the Russians. And they have a penchant for dirty tricks."

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We are immediately behind them