LONDON, March 6. /TASS/. The activity of Russian intelligence services has intensified and has already reached the level observed during the Cold War, Financial Times reported, citing Western intelligence sources.

"Russian [intelligence] activities <…> are as high or even higher than during the Cold War," one of the sources said. "They [Russia’s intelligence services] really had to change their modus operandi <…>·to resort to other tools," the second source said.

According to the newspaper, the methods of the Russian intelligence have become more sophisticated after Russia was allegedly forced to withdraw most of its intelligence officers from Western countries. The Financial Times’ sources said that "the Russians are such klutzes," however, "they can also do some very sophisticated operations that, in intelligence terms, are stupendously cool." The newspaper also said that Moscow is now allegedly relying more on local residents rather than on Russian citizens living in Western countries for its covert operations. "[They] may not know that they work for the Russians, they could be criminals or other persons who are paid," the newspaper’s source said.

A recent report by the Royal United Services Institute think-tank in London also pointed out that Russian intelligence services have allegedly begun to recruit people with no military background who can travel relatively free to other countries and establish personal contacts.

According to Financial Times, the Russian embassies in Austria and Switzerland have become centers of Russian intelligence activity in Europe. Security officials from those countries have said they know of about 150 Russian intelligence officers allegedly working there under diplomatic cover. According to one of the newspaper’s sources, the role of Serbia, the Middle East and the United Arab Emirates as planning centers for Russian intelligence operations in Europe has also increased in recent years.

The Financial Times’ sources also pointed out that the mass expulsion of Russian diplomats suspected of intelligence activities from European countries has hampered the work of European counterintelligence officers, who knew which of the Russians might be associated with the Russian secret services and built relationships with them. According to the newspaper, after the beginning of the Ukrainian conflict, cooperation between Western intelligence services and the exchange of information between them increased significantly.