Russia will be placed on the top level of a government scheme aimed at protecting the UK from malign foreign influence, the security minister Dan Jarvis has announced.
The state will be added to the “enhanced tier” of the forthcoming foreign influence registration scheme (Firs), a status reserved for nations that pose a risk to the safety of the UK’s interests.
It means anyone who is directed by Russia to carry out activities in the UK must declare it or face five years in prison.
Jarvis said: “Russia presents an acute threat to UK national security.
“In recent years, its hostile acts have ranged from the use of a deadly nerve agent in Salisbury, espionage, arson and cyber attacks, including the targeting of UK parliamentarians through spear phishing campaigns, and clearly Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine has highlighted its intent to undermine European and global security.”
He added that the enhanced tier of the scheme will ensure transparency of a broad range of activities and will provide an “important tool” for detecting and disrupting “harmful activity against our country.”
Jarvis said anyone “carrying out activity as part of any arrangement” with a number of Russian state bodies, including the head of state, armed forces, and intelligence services, will have to register with Firs.
“We also intend to specify several political parties which are controlled by Russia, including the United Russia party,” he added.
Firs was initially expected to come into force in 2024, but in August the new Labour government confirmed a delay to its implementation.
The registration scheme will go live on July 1, Jarvis told MPs on Tuesday.
The government will work with those affected such as in the business and academia sectors before Firs comes into force to help them prepare, as well as a three-month grace period to register existing ties.
The announcement comes after Iran was the first regime to be listed under Firs earlier this month, while ministers have faced pressure to also designate China.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp welcomed the inclusion of Russia in the top level of the scheme before questioning why China has yet to be added.
He described China as the “elephant in the room” before telling the Commons: “We know China engages in industrial-scale espionage, seeking to steal technology from government, universities, and from industries.
“They repress Chinese citizens here and have sought to infiltrate our political system.”
He said, “There is no question, in my mind, China should be in that enhanced tier.”
Jarvis said he was “not going to speculate on which countries may or may not be specified in the future,” adding on wider policy, “The government is taking a consistent long-term and strategic approach to managing the UK’s relationship with China.”
