United Kingdom: former ambassador Mandelson was a “close contact” of Russian spies
A controversial report accuses the former British diplomat of having links with Moscow. Mandelson was already implicated in the Epstein scandal that rocked the government
Peter Mandelson, the former British ambassador to the United States who was previously implicated in the Epstein scandal, is said to have been a privileged contact for the Russian secret services for years. This has been revealed by the British newspaper “The Telegraph”, which cites a controversial report drawn up by former MI6 officer Christopher Steele, who now works in the private intelligence sector.
The report’s revelations
The dossier, codenamed “Project Fish”, has been criticised by some sources close to Mandelson, who claim that the information disclosed is false and that it contains no concrete evidence of the former ambassador spying for Russia.
According to the document, the Mandelson case is said to represent ‘one of the most significant successes of Russian intelligence in manipulating British politics over the last thirty years’. The former Labour politician is said to have been first approached by the KGB shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, around 1990. From that point onwards, he is said to have remained a key contact for the Moscow secret services, initially as a promising party official, and later as an established and influential politician with a leading role in Tony Blair’s government.
Among the matters discussed in the report is his friendship with Oleg Deripaska, one of Russia’s most powerful oligarchs, who is considered to be very close to Putin. Partly thanks to Deripaska’s help, in 2010 Mandelson is said to have secured a Russian visa for Epstein, which the paedophile financier is said to have used to meet a number of women in Moscow. Furthermore, ‘Project Fish’ reveals that during his tenure as a non-executive director at the Russian conglomerate Sistema, the former British diplomat is said to have come into close contact with Kremlin spies working undercover. In this case too, however, the report presents no evidence and there is nothing to establish whether Lord Mandelson was aware of this.
Who is Christopher Steele
It would appear that “Project Fish” was produced in 2022, by which time Steele had left the British secret service and was already working in the private sector. During his career as a senior officer within MI6, he served for years as head of the Russia desk.
