Boris Johnson: UK will hit Russia online if cyber-threat continues
2 min read
Russia will face retaliatory cyber attacks if it continues to threaten UK national security online, Boris Johnson will warn today.
He will say the UK has the power to fight cyber espionage as he becomes the first Foreign Secretary to visit Russia in five years.
Mr Johnson's comments come after Theresa May accused Russia of trying to “undermine free societies” and told president Vladimir Putin: “We know what you are doing and you will not succeed.”
At a meeting in Moscow, Mr Johnson will tell his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov that the UK cannot accept “hostile” behaviour.
Speaking before the trip he said UK-Russia relations "haven't been so bad for a very long time" - a concern echoed by other top figures in recent months.
"There are areas in which Russia is behaving in a more hostile way towards our interests than at any time since the end of the Cold War,” Mr Johnson said.
"I will make clear... that there are things that we find extremely difficult to accept, and we can't accept."
The pair will discuss North Korea, Syria, the Iran nuclear deal and the safety of English football fans when Russia hosts the World Cup next year.
'RUSSIAN SPY IN DOWNING STREET'
Meanwhile, it emerged a suspected Russian spy worked as an interpreter between Theresa May and the Ukrainian prime minister in summer.
Stanislav Yezhov was arrested in his office in Kiev on Wednesday night on suspicion of treason.
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