The chairman of the State Duma Commission of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on investigating foreign interference commented on the campaign launched by British intelligence services to recruit agents for anti-Russian activities (posted on the 19th of September 2025 in the commission’s Telegram channel):

"Today the British intelligence service MI-6 published instructions in Russian explaining in detail how to establish 'contact for cooperation' with it. The documents describe both open Internet channels and methods of communication via darknet, as well as recommendations for ensuring secrecy. In essence, this means recruiting agents to assist in anti-Russian activities.

MI-6 refers to the proposed methods of interaction as "secure establishment of virtual contact." However, actions taken in response to such calls may constitute a crime under Article 275 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("High Treason"), which carries a penalty up to life imprisonment. This should not be forgotten".

Establishing covert cooperation, in particular through darknet, as well as using recommendations to ensure secrecy, is a relatively new crime (lat. corpus delicti) under Article 2751of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation — the establishment and maintenance by a citizen of the Russian Federation, a foreign citizen or a stateless person located on the territory of the Russian Federation of cooperative relations on a confi dential basis with a representative of a foreign state, international or foreign organisation for the purpose of assisting them in activities knowingly directed against the security of the Russian Federation (in the absence of elements of crimes provided for in Articles 275, 276, 2761 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).

In other words, the mere fact of establishing covert cooperation with a foreign party in the activities described above constitutes a crime according to the Article 2751 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, but if, as a result of such cooperation, any information is transferred or other assistance is provided, this is already classifi ed under Article 275 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (high treason).