MI6 turned Russian spy in Cyprus into double agent: British media claims

Reports in the British media claimed that the country’s secret intelligence service, commonly known as MI6, performed an operation to turn a Russian spy in Cyprus into a double agent.

The report, which surfaced in British newspaper the Daily Express, claimed the Russian spy was posing as a plumber in Paphos.

The spy was given the codename ‘Sunshine 24’ and had been instructed by Russia’s intelligence services to offer plumbing services to both British Royal Air Force personnel and other British forces personnel based on the island.

However, his cover was reportedly blown, and MI6 then began to spy on him, tracking his movements and then discovering his love of sea fishing.

In May, the trap was set, with an undercover British spy making a telephone call to the “plumber” saying his bedroom had been flooded.

While the “plumber” was working on the house, he and the MI6 spy struck up a conversation and discovered a mutual love of fishing, with them then going fishing together shortly afterwards.

As their friendship blossomed, the MI6 spy reportedly gained more compromising intelligence, which could have been turned over to Russia should he be uncooperative with his planned next steps.

In July, the MI6 agent played his hand, offering the Russian spy the chance to “live another life” in exchange for the provision of detailed information allowing access to signal intelligence between Russia and Iran.

The man agreed, and the intelligence acquired reportedly allowed the west to discover in September that Russia had received a quantity of Fath 360 short-range ballistic missiles from Iran in exchange for the sharing of technology on nuclear issues.

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the news during a trip to the UK in September ahead of a trip to Ukraine, where it is likely Russia will deploy the Fath 360 missiles.