Russia, Iran and China pose ‘multi-faceted’ UK threat, MPs warn

Hostile activity by Russia, Iran and China has intensified and now represents a complex, persistent threat to the UK, according to a new assessment published by Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee.

In its Annual Report covering April 2023 to March 2025, the Committee states that “the threat to the UK from hostile activity by Russian, Iranian and Chinese State-linked actors is multi-faceted and complex”, with activity ranging from espionage and cyber operations to sabotage, coercion and political interference.

The Committee warns that “the threat of state-sponsored assassination, attacks and abductions of those perceived as dissidents has remained at a higher level than we have seen in previous years”. It cites the December 2023 conviction of a Chechnya-born Austrian national under the Terrorism Act for collecting information on Iran International, a media organisation “under persistent threat from the Iranian regime”.

Russia’s actions across Europe are highlighted in particular. The report states that “as part of its efforts to destabilise Western support to Ukraine, Russia has engaged in sabotage campaigns across Europe”. In response to what it describes as “an increasing pattern of malign activity”, the UK expelled the Russian defence attaché in May 2024 and removed diplomatic protections from several Russian-owned properties.

The Committee notes that hostile states are increasingly operating through intermediaries, saying that “proxy actors [are] increasingly conducting activity on behalf of states”. It points to the prosecution in March 2025 of three UK-based Bulgarian nationals described as members of a “Russian spy ring”, and to UK sanctions imposed in April 2025 on the Foxtrot Network, a criminal group which “has carried out violence against Jewish and Israeli targets in Europe on behalf of the Iranian regime”.

Espionage against the UK Government and defence sector remains a constant concern. The report states that “attempts by foreign intelligence services to conduct espionage to obtain UK Government and defence-sector secrets continue”. It highlights the attribution in March 2024 of a “multi-year cyber campaign” to a Chinese intrusion group, including the attempted targeting of MPs and a hack of the Electoral Commission. It also references the sentencing of former soldier Daniel Khalife in February 2025 for spying for Iran.

Beyond espionage, the Committee warns of covert political interference. It says the threat includes “the efforts of foreign states to exert covert and malign influence on UK policy, democracy and public opinion”, including attempts to influence “social media, journalism and political figures”. Examples cited include Russian “hack and leak” operations linked to the FSB and the designation of RT as a vehicle for disinformation aimed at democratic processes.

The report also restates the ongoing terrorism threat. The UK national threat level remains “SUBSTANTIAL: an attack is likely”, and MI5 and police partners disrupted 43 attack plots between March 2017 and March 2025. The Committee says attacks are most likely to come from “self-initiated terrorists radicalised online”, driven by Islamist, extreme right-wing or single-issue ideologies.

On cyber threats, the Committee concludes that the UK faces “real and enduring threats from states and cyber criminals”, warning that ransomware poses “the most immediate and disruptive threat” to critical national infrastructure. Russia is described as “a capable, motivated and irresponsible threat actor in cyberspace”, while China is characterised as “highly sophisticated and capable” and Iran as “aggressive in cyberspace”.

Looking ahead, the report warns that artificial intelligence will further complicate the threat landscape. It states that “many nation-state threat actors and cyber criminals are already using artificial intelligence to increase the volume, and heighten the impact, of cyber attacks”, and that over the next five years this is likely to lead to “an expanding range and number of victims to manage”.

The Committee concludes that recent legislation, including the National Security Act, is intended to make the UK “a harder operating environment” for hostile states, but the assessment underlines that the breadth and intensity of threats facing the country continue to grow.